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sustainurlife-blog · 9 years

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Alternative to Sanitary Pad/Sanitary Napkin/Tampons

According to a research, an urban woman disposes almost 16,800 pads in her lifetime. But the biggest question is “Are we really making a healthy choice during menstruation”?

Problems with Sanitary Napkin/Pads/Tampons:

1.The most important thing you should know is that these napkins contains cellulose gel and not cotton which might cause a lot of infection. A warning was earlier stated that this gel in napkins can cause cervical cancer too which is a common women problem.

2.The other side effects of sanitary napkins is that if worn for more than three hours it can cause lumps on the vaginal area which might lead to irritation and other infections.

3. A woman’s body may often be at its weakest during menstruation and if there are no proper measures of protection taken during this time, the woman’s health could be affected. As such, it is important to correct some misconceptions and wrong practices during menstruation. Surveys have shown that 73% of the women would feel itchiness and pain on some parts of the skin during menstruation. These are mostly caused by the use of sanitary napkins which are not air permeable.

4. In order for the sanitary pads not to allow the liquid to flow through, the manufacturers use an impermeable bottom layer, most often made of plastic, which does not allow liquid or air to pass through either.This way, moisture and heat are kept inside, creating a very good environment for bacteria to develop.Most of the bacteria that can cause women’s diseases are anaerobe, which means they will die within 30 seconds to 1 minute in oxygen. That is why it is very important for sanitary pads and panty liners to allow air flow.

These four facts on side effects of sanitary napkin can really put you in a state of shock, So if you have any types of women problems like that of excessive itching or unusual discharge from the vagina, take immediate steps to cure the problem.

Tampons: You should know that tampons which is another sanitary napkin contain two types of chemicals like that of Dioxin and Rayon which are equally dangerous for a woman. The Tampons are bleached with these chemicals to make them look pure and clean but the most harmful side effect of sanitary napkins / tampons is that this bleaching agent is toxic to the immune and reproductive system.

Dioxin: We have a tendency to assume that if the product is pure white, it is clean. However, the cotton that is received after harvesting, is usually cream in colour. The manufacturers of sanitary napkins use a chemical called dioxin to bleach the cotton. Unless the pads are specifically labelled as non-bleached one can assume it has undergone this process. Although the levels of dioxin in sanitary napkins are quite low, they are still dangerous as dioxin accumulates in the fat stores of the body and can add up to the residual levels over time. Dioxin is linked with the following side effects in the body: pelvic inflammatory disease, ovarian cancer, immune system damage, hormone dysfunction, impaired fertility, diabetes and impaired thyroid function. Rayon: Apart from cotton, rayon is yet another synthetic polymer that is added to these napkins to enhance the absorbing capacity. Rayon also has dioxin in it.

Pesticides and Herbicides: These are the chemicals that are sprayed on the cotton crops. A chemical named furan stays on the cotton long after it has been harvested, which can cause harm. These have been linked with the following effects in the body: infertility, hormonal disruption, thyroid malfunction, diabetes, endometriosis and depression.

Artificial Fragrances and Deodorant: These substances are added to the napkins during the manufacturing process. Although they can also enter the bloodstream, like in the cases of pesticides and dioxin, they can also have an effect locally on the vagina and in turn cause allergies and skin reactions.

Toxic Shock Syndrome: Toxic shock syndrome is not caused by the chemicals discussed above, but rather from an overgrowth of staphylococcus aureus bacteria in the vagina which causes a release of toxins and poisonous substances into the bloodstream. These toxins can cause a sudden fall in blood pressure.

Plastic problems

Most of these products are made up of plastic and hence it more harmful to human body. The labia and vaginal area is highly vascular, meaning that a lot of small blood vessels run to this area. The skin is also especially thin down there, making it easier for plastic chemicals to enter the body that way. Many pads and some tampons contain plastic chemicals and can even contain BPA and other plastic chemicals.

Using sanitary napkins or tampons for prolonged periods can encourage the growth of the staphylococcus bacteria. The occurrence of these symptoms in conjunction with tampon use may be a sign of toxic shock syndrome: diarrhea, vomiting, sunburn-like rash, dizziness, cold and fever.

Environmental concerns

Not only the usage of these napkins but its disposal as well creates a great problem. An average woman will use over 16,000 tampons or pads (up to 300 pounds!) in the course of her lifetime, sometimes more. Since most of these products are made of plastic they are problematic in their own right as they take a long time to break down and cause lot of environmental problems. They also contain special chemicals and ingredients that make them able to absorb 10x their weight in liquid which makes it further difficult for breaking down.

Healthy Alternatives for Sanitary Napkins/ Tampons:

Disposable sanitary Pads:

Since most of us are too comfortable with the sanitary pads/tampons the disposable sanitary pads can be a first stage/step in changing towards an healthy alternative. A lot of initiatives have been taken in this area and some of the NGOs and social entrepreneurs are working exclusively to prepare disposable sanitary pads. Some of them have been mentioned below:

1. The Anandhi Pads - Aakar Innovations:

Aakar is a sanitary napkin production unit which offers livelihood opportunities to rural women and also creates sales and distribution models through village-level women entrepreneurs.

The Anandi pad is fully biodegradable in compostable conditions, solving the problem of rural disposal and ensuring minimal damage to the environment. At just Rs. 2 per napkin; the sanitary napkins marketed under the brand name ‘Anandi’ are available at a price point 40% lower than the lowest market competitor. These napkins are UV rays sterilized and adhere to BIS standards for sanitary napkins. You can get more information on the product here.

Contact them at- [email protected]. Call: +91-9871197106/+91-9916120264

2. Azadi:

An early-stage Indian enterprise, Azadi, is also well placed to disrupt the sanitary napkin industry with their product. Azadi has developed a 100% biodegradable sanitary napkin that is 43% cheaper than the average retail price point.

Azadi aims to build a network of over 13,000 female entrepreneurs who will directly reach 4 million rural girls and women.

Contact them at- [email protected], +91 522 410-9672

3.Nurture:

Nurture is a company which produces cotton pads & panty liners which are bio-degradable. Their have a lot of features and they can be purchased online.

Some of the sites where in you can purchase them are:

http://www.naturalmantra.com/home-personal-care64-women-hygiene#/?make[]=nurture&_xhr=1

http://www.flipkart.com/beauty-and-personal-care/women-s-hygiene/sanitary-pads/pr?q=nurture&as=on&as-show=on&otracker=start&sid=t06%2C80g%2C63z&as-pos=1_1_ic_nurture

http://shycart.com/searchresults.aspx?r=nurture

http://www.amazon.in/Nurture-Natural-Cotton-Surface-Winged/dp/B00K63R7OS/ref=sr_1_1?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1436783629&sr=1-1&keywords=nurture

and many others.......

Menstrual Cup:

Menstrual cup is generally made of high-quality silicon, worn inside the vagina during menstruation to collect menstrual fluid. Unlike tampons and pads, the cup collects menstrual fluid rather than absorbing it.

Though they may be uncomfortable and need some getting used to, they serve well after you learn to use them properly. Benefits far outweigh the initial hiccups in using them. Wikihow talks on how to use menstural cup.

Eco-friendly: An average menstrual cup lasts for about 1.5-2 years, saving huge amount of disposable pads from ending up in the landfill.

Cost-effective: An average middle-class Indian woman spends approximately Rs. 1400 for disposable pads. In comparison to this, SheCup – an Indian brand of menstrual cup costs only around Rs. 700 and lasts for 1.5 years. You can learn more about the product here

Odorless: As the menstrual flow is restricted inside the cup, it does not come in contact with the air, hence generates no odor.

Long term protection: A normal tampon holds between six and nine grams of liquid. Menstrual cups hold almost five times that amount, capable of up to one ounce (about 28 grams). This makes life a lot more easy for ladies with a heavier flow. It can be worn up to 12 hours, which is twice as long as you would normally wear a pad or tampon.

Leak-free: This is a surprise benefit. You can even wear these at swimming pools and beaches and waterfalls. They wonderfully work for women with hectic lifestyle and other purposes such as sports and yoga.

Healthy: Cups don’t contain latex, BPA, dye or other creepy additives. Cotton in tampons can strip your vaginal walls of naturally occurring lining, making your lady bits more susceptible to disease. But menstrual cups don’t dry out.

Cloth Pads:

Cloth Pads are reusable sanitary napkin made from cloth. The design and use of these cloth napkins is similar to disposable napkins, and they provide absorbency by using many layers of cotton. They have options for heavy and light flow days and a combination of the two can fully substitute disposable napkins every month. They are quite easy to care for as well, and can even be washed in a washing machine after soaking and removing all the menstrual discharge. Here again, the reusable cloth napkins protects the user from coming in contact with a number of harmful chemicals found in disposable napkins.

1. Ecofemme

It provides washable cloth pads. Unlike disposable sanitary napkins, they can be washed and re-used for years and they are made of natural material – cotton – that is biodegradable and healthy for women’s bodies. You can learn more about the product here. You can buy Ecofemme pads here or call Kathy on +91 9443135005.

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2. Goonj NJPC (Not just a piece of cloth)

Goonj started turning small pieces of clean cloth into sanitary pads – now called ‘MY Pad’ and raising voice on all the possible forums.Instead of just using these pads as a product they use them as a tool, as an entry point to open up the subject, create awareness and force people to think and open up. In the last few years, Goonj has been able to create over 2.5 million environment friendly, re-usable, economic cloth sanitary pads.You can get more information on the product here.

References:

http://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/bengaluru/Is-your-sanitary-napkin-safe/2013/08/28/article1755252.ece

ladyanionsanitarynapkins.blogspot.in/2012/05/sanitary-napkins-silent-killer.html

Note:This blog has suggested some companies and the products which are healthy alternatives for Sanitary Pads and Tampons (in Indian context). There might be other companies in India which produce disposable pads, cloth pads and menstrual cups. If there are any more of such eco-friendly products, do share them with all our readers and promote a safe menstruation. Thank you.

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