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Switch to organic cotton tampons and pads

Why This is Green

Half of the population menstruates monthly and yet most of us don’t take into account how feminine care products impact our bodies and the environment. It’s best for both to use tampons and pads made of certified organic cotton grown without pesticides and that has not been bleached with chlorine, dyed, or perfumed with fragrance. Fragrance can contain hormone disrupting chemicals and can be irritating to such delicate skin.

No one knows the cumulative health effect of using conventional products, and most of the boxes on drug store shelves aren’t required to list ingredients. Most tampons are made of conventional cotton or a cotton-rayon blend.

According to the Sustainable Cotton Project, conventional cotton farming uses about 25 percent of the world’s insecticides and more than 10 percent of the pesticides. The pesticides used on cotton happen to be among the world’s worst: five of the nine most commonly used have been identified as possible human carcinogens. Others are known to damage the nervous system and are suspected of disrupting the body’s hormonal system.

Highly absorbent rayon is manufactured from wood pulp, a process that involves bleaching with chlorine-containing substances. The eventual product may contain chlorinated hydrocarbons as well as dioxin residues.

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How To

Luckily, there are alternatives! Buy organic all-cotton fragrance-free non-chlorine bleached tampons in bulk to reduce the amount of trips you take to the store. Applicator-free tampons and non-individually wrapped pads use less packaging.

To avoid using an agricultural/disposable product entirely, choose a reusable cup and washable pads.