본문

From North Carolina Independence Center

------------------------------------------

Below the Belt
by danyele mcpherson • Tuesday February 10, 2004 at 03:07 PM

On Friday, January 30th, Shira EtShalom brought her touring menstrual health workshop to the Internationalist Bookstore in Chapel Hill to educate local menstruators and non-menstruators alike on the alternatives and problems with corporately produced tampons.

Shira, a resident of Philadelphia has been teaching menstrual health workshops and sewing homemade cloth menstrual pads which are available for purchase on her website for over 3 years. Her tour, aptly titled the Below the Belt Tour began January 24th at the 7th annual National Conference on Organized Resistance (NCOR) in Washington D.C.

Shira spoke to a group of approximately 11 women in her Chapel Hill workshop, detailing the many options available for menstruators and offering the pros and cons of each.

She stressed environmental, health, and social concerns as an impetus to seek alternatives to tampons made by Tampax, Platex, o.b. and other corporate tampon producers.

Waste was cited as a major concern of disposable menstrual products on the environment. "The average woman may use up to 15,000 tampons in her lifetime [and] that's a lot of waste for the environment," claims www.thekeeperstore.com. This website is dedicated to selling The Keeper, a tampon alternative that is reusable with a life of approximately 10 years. The Keeper is made of natural gum rubber, so it has a severely reduced impact on the environment when compared to traditional tampons.

Shira mentioned The Keeper, sea sponges (not vegan), and reusable cloth pads as alternatives which create less waste for the environment.

Also harmful for the environment and menstruators alike, Shira discussed the use of rayon and the bleaching process employed in the production of corporately produced tampons. Shira stated that rayon, a synthetic fiber made of wood pulp, caused small cuts on the vaginal walls, which increased bleeding. She also noted not only do these tampons cut the vaginal walls, but that they leave behind fibers which as a result of the bleaching process can increase chances of endometriosis and cancer.

Tampax's website directly addresses these accusations stating, "Rayon...has been used in Tampax tampons for more than 25 years. Extensive testing by a number of leading scientists at Harvard, Dartmouth, University of Minnesota, and Centers for Disease Control has demonstrated that rayon and cotton are equally safe materials. Fibers can come off any tampon. The natural cleansing process of the vagina removes these fibers with a short time. Medical literature recognizes this process and [it] does not represent a health risk." (tampax.com)

With regard to the bleaching, endometriosis and cancer risks noted by Shira, Tampax maintains their tampons are tested by "the most advanced government approved methods available" and they "contain no dioxin (a cancer causing agent). There is absolutely no scientific evidence that tampons lead to the development of endometriosis or cancer." (tampax.com) Shira counters this stating that the "government approved testing methods" referenced by Tampax were not developed to test for minute dioxin levels and their effects in sensitive areas like the vagina.

Other environmental and health concerns like pollution from tampon production and yeast infections were also discussed in the workshop.

These issues intersected with social and cultural concerns over corporately produced tampons. Participants in the workshop noted that commercials for menstrual products often convey a sense of shame to the menstruator, that it is something which should be hidden from the world. The new Tampax Compak indeed illustrates this point as it was designed to fit in the palm of one's hand, "for maximum discretion." (tampax.com) In a recent commercial, this tampon is designed so small that a woman's boyfriend mistakes it as a sugar packet.

Tampax reminds women that an advantage to wearing tampons is, "you can wear any type of clothing from body hugging workout gear to mini skirts and no one will know." (tampax.com) Another advantage Tampax cites is with tampons, "you stay clean and feel fresh" intimating that menstruation is naturally unclean.

Emphasis on secrecy is obviously part of Tampax as well as other corporate tampon producers marketing strategy. All of these advertisements and minaturized products work together to tell women the same message: menstruation is unnatural and unclean therefore, it should be concealed. Shira and workshop participants rallied against these corporately created norms yelling "tampon" in unison.

Shira presented the alternatives in order of her least to most favorite providing information on organic tampons, sea sponges (not vegan), The Keeper, and cloth reusable menstrual pads like the ones she makes and sells.

Her pads are made of 100% cotton, come in various sizes, and are machine washable. Since they are used externally and made from cotton, risks of cancer, endometriosis, and yeast infections are avoided and their reusability prevents harmful effects on the environment.

Environmental, health, and social concerns all intersected in the Below the Belt workshop, making it clear that menstrual product alternatives must be sought and education on these issues must continue.

If all this weren't enough to cause some uneasiness in the feminine care product aisle once a month, Shira hit us in the pocket. Her cloth reusable pads are $3-$10 sliding scale. The Keeper with a life of 10 years is $35 and even offers a 3 month trial with a money back guarantee. Sea sponges also offer a similar value as they can be used up to 4 cycles and cost well under the price of a box of Tampax.

All things considered, we can't afford not to give up corporately produced tampons.

Shira can be contacted at belowthebeltshira@yahoo.com

You can purchase menstrual pads and obtain relevant information on menstruation at her website, www.deadletters.biz/belowthebelt/

add your comments