I think most of you are probably aware of this, but I thought I should post it for you to share with others.

From Gayleen:(a friend of mine) Most of you know why this is so important for me to be sending out. It's been only 10 months since she was released from the hospital and is doing well, BUT I will never forget.............please pass this on. (Her daughter had TSS) From Nancy: There are two alternative products I'd like to list one is "Instead" available in most stores, the other is called "The Keeper" which can be ordered online. It is a rubber cup that is inserted and is cleaned and reused. http://www.thekeeperstore.com/home/ Also you can make your own cotton pads or purchase them on the web.

Subject:For the Women I Know... Important! Please pass this on to as many women as possible. If you are a woman and use pads, but especially if you use tampons, read this and pass it on to your friends. For the men receiving this email, please forward it to your friends, significant others, sisters, mothers, daughters, etc.). Thanks. Denise O'Connor.

Check the labels of the sanitary pads or tampons that you are going to buy the next time and see whether you spot any of the familiar signs stated in this email. No wonder so many women in the world suffer from cervical cancer and womb tumors. Have you heard that tampon makers include asbestos in tampons? Why would they do this? Because asbestos makes you bleed more, if you bleed more, you're going to need to use more. Why isn't this against the law since asbestos is so dangerous? Because the powers that be, in all their wisdom (not), did not consider tampons as being ingested, and, therefore, didn't consider them illegal or dangerous. This month's Essence magazine has small article about this and they mention two manufacturers of a cotton tampon alternative. The companies are: Organic Essentials @ (800) 765-6491 and Terra Femme @ (800)755-0212. A woman getting her Ph.D. at University of Colorado at Boulder sent the following: "I am writing this because women are not being informed about the dangers of something most of us use: tampons. I am taking a class this month and I have been learning a lot about biology and women, including much about feminine hygiene. Recently we have learned that tampons are actually dangerous (for other reasons than TSS). I'll tell you this - after learning about this in our class, most of the females wound up feeling angry and upset with the tampon industry, and I for one, am going to do something about it. To start, I want to inform everyone I can, and email is the fastest way that I know how.

HERE IS THE SCOOP: Tampons contain two things that are potentially harmful: Rayon (for absorbency), and dioxin (a chemical used in bleaching the products). The tampon industry is convinced that we, as women, need bleached white products in order to view the product as pure and clean. The problem here is that the dioxin, which is produced in this bleaching process, can lead to very harmful problems for a woman. Dioxin is potentially carcinogenic (cancer-associated) and is toxic to the immune and reproductive systems. It has also been linked to endometriosis and lower sperm counts for men. For both sexes, it breaks down the immune system. Last September, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported that there really is no set "acceptable" level of exposure to dioxin given that it is cumulative and slow to disintegrate. The real danger comes from repeated contact (Karen Couppert Pulling the Plug on the Tampon Industry"). I'd say using about 4-5 tampons a day, five days a month, for 38 menstruating years is "repeated contact", wouldn't you? Rayon contributes to the danger of tampons and dioxin because it is a highly absorbent substance. Therefore, when fibers from the tampons are left behind in the vagina (as usually occurs), it creates a breeding ground for the dioxin. It also stays in a lot longer than it would with just cotton tampons. This is also the reason why TSS (toxic shock syndrome) occurs.

WHAT ARE THE ALTERNATIVES? Using feminine hygiene products that aren't bleached and that are all cotton. Other feminine hygiene products (pads/napkins) contain dioxin as well, but they are not nearly as dangerous since they are not in direct contact with the vagina. The pads/napkins need to stop being bleached, but, obviously, tampons are the most dangerous.

So, what can you do if you can't give up using tampons? Use tampons that are made from 100% cotton, and that are UNBLEACHED. Unfortunately, there are very few companies that make these safe tampons. They are usually only found in health food stores. Countries all over the world (Sweden, Germany, British Columbia, etc.) have demanded a switch to this safer tampon, while the U.S. has decided to keep us in the dark about it. In 1989, activists in England mounted a campaign against chlorine bleaching. Six weeks and 50,000 letters later, the makers of sanitary products switched to oxygen bleaching (one of the green methods available) (MS magazine, May/June 1995).

WHAT TO DO NOW: Tell people. Everyone. Inform them. We are being manipulated by this industry and the government, let's do something about it! Please write to the companies: Tampax (Tambrands), Playtex, O.B., Kotex. Call the 800 numbers listed on the boxes. Let them know that we demand a safe product - ALL COTTON UNBLEACHED TAMPONS.

REMINDER: In order not to lose the impact of this e-mail, I suggest that anyone who wants to forward it to your friends, PLEASE copy this mail and paste it to a NEW message. That way it will not distort the whole message with all the forward arrows. Please do this with consideration and seriousness.

Kim Oldham Shamrock Independent School District Technology Coordinator 100 S. Illinois St. Shamrock, TX 79079 806-256-5256 office 806-256-3628 fax 806-662-5260 cellular

-- Nancy in NoCal (sonflower35@icqmail.com), March 20, 2001

Answers

Actually, this has been circulating on the internet for a long while, and is untrue. To learn more, go to http://www.snopes.com/toxins/tampon.htm

-- Julie (julieamc@excite.com), March 20, 2001.

Accoridng to "Home Safe Home" by Debra Lynn Dadd,the Centers for Disease Control, tss is about zero as of when this book was written, however " A newly discovered danger, which applies to both tampons and sanitary pads, is the presence of dioxins in the bleached paper from which both are made. Studies done in Great Britain report 130 part per trillion (ppt) dioxins remaining in tampons, and 400 ppt in sanitry pads. This sounds like a very small amount; however, one of the dioxins present, tetrachlorodibenzodioxin (TCDD), has been called the most toxic chemical ever produced. TCDD, a known carcinogen, causes birth defects and sterility, as well as liver damage and suppression of the immune system. The chemical can be absorbed easily through the skin. Considering that we use these products month in and month out over year, is this a risk we want to take?"

-- Cindy (SE In) (atilrthehony_1@yahoo.com), March 20, 2001.

Certain toxins have NO safe tolerance levels, dioxin is one of them, do you think we should continue to put this stuff up THERE? Thanks for bringing this to our attention.

-- Annie Miller in SE OH (annie@1st.net), March 20, 2001.

The asbestos in tampon story is an urban legend--untrue. However, using organic tampons is worthwhile. The keeper is also supposed to be a good product.

-- amy (acook@in4web.com), March 20, 2001.

Yet another internet hoax with no basis in fact. Here is a link to the FDA's official statement on the matter.

http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/ocd/tamponsabs.html

Of course, people who pass along this type of misinformation probably won't believe anything the FDA has to say. It's all a big evil government conspiracy you know. ;-)

-- Sherri C (CeltiaSkye@aol.com), March 21, 2001.

A couple of points: FIRST, I usually pass nothing along that fits into the hoax category. True, I didn't check this out because it had already been brought to my attention that tampons contained unsafe material and it didn't occur to me that this was one of those letters. However, I think it bears some attention and yes the FDA isn't to be trusted, JUST LOOK AT THEIR RECORD SO FAR!!!!!! Do the homework or blindly follow along like sheeple, your choice.

-- Nancy in NoCal (sonflower25@icqmail.com), March 21, 2001.

Ya know, tampons really don't make sense anyway. They are indeed bleached, and anyone here ever live near a paper mill? The smell of that stuff is amazing! I don't know about the asbestos, but I do know the FDA really doesn't care for people's health. If they did there are so many things they would have approved it isn't funny. Remember that these are the same people who wouldn't admit that vitamin C was any help in combatting colds. And they want to curtail peoples usage of herbs as they don't get their cut from what God created for us. Money grubbers.

-- Doreen (animalwaitress@excite.com), March 22, 2001.

Got the same exact email last year. Not true, and my midwife friend who sent it to me got scolded but good for not being more careful about the info she spread.

-- Betsy in NY (sassyweitzel@yahoo.com), March 22, 2001.

When I was a teen one of my girlfriends got TSS. Very scary, but also extremely rare. As far as cervical cancer...it is usually linked to the virus that causes genital warts which is extremely common. In fact, most folks who carry the virus have no symptoms and often don't find out until they get a "weird" pap.

-- elle (eagle-quest@juno.com), March 23, 2001.

After reading all of the above, all I can say is I can't wait for Menopause!!!!!

-- Marcia (HrMr@webtv.net), March 23, 2001.

This Urban Legend has been around since 1998. Personally, I think it was started by the organic companies, since they're usually more expensive than the big guys, and can't compete!

http://urbanlegends.about.com/science/urbanlegends/library/bltamp2.htm?terms=tampons

-- ~Rogo (rogo2020@yahoo.com), March 24, 2001.

I myself had TSS as a teenager and was terrible ill and in the hospitol. I lost so much weight i couldn't walk when they released me and it was a very long recovery. I don't wish it on anyone. I can't use pads and i have to be very careful with tampons. I went with the keeper which might be an answer for some or homemade pads out of plain old cotton or flannel

-- Shau Marie (shau@centurytel.net), March 27, 2001.

Organic tampons are expensive, but I save money by purchasing them through a food cooperative at our local health food store. You can also use cloth sanitary napkins. This is better on the environment.

-- amy (acook@in4web.com), March 27, 2001.

Would you believe anything from a corporate company that knew tampons were killing women but refused to pay attention?

I use a keeper myself. And cloth pads. Much sounder.

-- LadyNai (LadyNai@prodigy.net), February 07, 2002.

Can anyone tell me which is best to use,pads or Tampons and why.I feel very uncomfortable inserting applicator tampons.but dont know if pads are better.Im 13.My parents split and I live with my Dad,I dont want to ask him.Haylee

-- Haylee Lim (hales21nz@yahoo.co.nz), February 12, 2002.