 |
 Toxicity, Cancer, and Tampons | Dr. Nicole Rivera
…. Thanks to Sarah Hannah Martin for asking the question, “Has anyone ever connected cervical cancer with having a cotton tampon full of chemicals sitting on your cervix for a few days a month? ” in response to the tampon rant post… Here is one article that I found in response. ~Elena “This is a must read if you are a woman who uses tampons or pads! For the men, the use of tampons by your significant other can be limiting your ability to conceive a child so please read and then forward this… to friends and loved ones. They will appreciate it! Let’s start with the basic truth, the fact that the mucosal lining of the vagina is one of the most sensitive and absorbent areas of the body. However, each month women expose themselves to a variety of hazards through the use of tampons. Tampons may contain many chemicals and pesticides from the process of Non-Organic farming. Five of the top nine most harmful pesticides are used on non-organic cotton farming in the U.S. These five pesticides include Cyanide, Dicofol, Naled, Propargite, and Trifluralin and are known to be CANCER-CAUSING Chemicals. Besides these cancer causing chemicals, almost all non-organic Tampons contain two additional things that are potentially harmful. These are rayon (for absorbency), and dioxin (a chemical used in bleaching the products). Dioxin is a potentially harmful byproduct of the chlorine bleaching process used in making tampons. Dioxin, can disrupt hormones within the body, and can lead to very harmful problems for women. Dioxin is cancer causing as well as toxic to the immune and reproductive systems. It has been linked to endometriosis, cancer, and lower sperm counts for men. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has determined that people exposed to high levels of dioxins may be at risk for a damaged immune system, increased risk of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), and reduced fertility. The EPA reported that there is no set acceptable level of exposure to dioxin given that it is cumulative and slow to disintegrate. Do you think being exposed to dioxin 11,000 to 13,000 times is acceptable? Females use an average of 11,000 to 13,000 tampons during their lifetime. This amount of exposure to dioxin is extremely dangerous considering Dioxin is cancer causing, disrupting to your hormone balance, toxic to your immune, harmful to your reproductive system, and leads to diseases such as endometriosis and cancer. The other harmful chemical in tampons is Rayon which is a highly absorbent substance that can remain on the vaginal walls. 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 attached to the vaginal walls longer than it would with Organic cotton tampons as they don’t contain any dioxin or rayon. Organic All-cotton tampons do not produce the dangerous TSS (toxic shock syndrome) toxin, Staphylococcus aureus, but all other varieties of tampons containing rayon amplified production of the toxin TSS-T1. This includes tampax, Playtex, and OB. Think twice before buying the most well known brands of tampons!” From: www.integrativewellnessgro Image: Louise Daddona Leaving this post on a more hopeful note, seaweeds are both an excellent food for our cycles and help remove toxins from our bodies ~Elena ☾ Elena Zubulake ~ Occupy Menstruation |