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COSMETICS

French women warned about ‘toxic tampons’

A leading consumer rights group in France has raised the alarm that tampons and items of protection contain “potentially toxic” substances.

French women warned about 'toxic tampons'
Photo: Flickr/David L

In their latest magazine 60 million consumers have alerted women to the presence of potentially “toxic residues” in tampons and other forms of protection.

After ordering its own scientific testing on various female sanitary products the organisation claims there are traces of “dioxins, glyphosate and other pesticides” albeit in low levels.

These chemicals can interfere with hormone systems (endocrine disruptors). 

“Could these dioxins have this kind of effect on vaginal mucosa? There is currently no study to say for sure,” Victoria N'Sondé from 60 Millions Consumers told BFM TV.

The average women is said to use between five and ten thousands tampons throughout their whole life.

According to the World Health Organisation “Dioxins are highly toxic and can cause reproductive and developmental problems, damage the immune system, interfere with hormones and also cause cancer.”

The group analysed 11 items of sanitary protection for women and found that five of them contained potentially toxic residues.

The magazine says they found traces of dioxins in tampons made by two major brands out of the three they tested.

The Tampax brand “Compak Active regular fresh” was said to contain molecules from the chlorine family.

It also claimed that “glyphosate”, a herbicide used in weed killer, was found in pantyliners that were made by the Organyc brand that claims, as it sounds, to be “organic”.

Following the investigation the National Institution for Consumers has demanded the government step in and enforce stricter controls on the products and greater transparency around labeling.

A petition launched in France that calls for more information to be given regarding the chemicals used in tampons and sanitary products has gained 180,000 signatures.

“When we buy cosmetic products we can get information on what they contain and how they are made, but when it comes to something we use everyday that is in contact with our intimate parts, we have no knowledge of what is in it,” Mélanie Doerflinger, the student who launched the petition told BFM TV.

The study comes just a day after another French consumer group released details of 185 cosmetic products that people should avoid because they contained potentially hormone changing chemicals.

SEE ALSO: French told to avoid 185 everyday cosmetic products

 

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TAMPONS

Two German men face backlash over ‘Pinky’ period glove product

Two German men who came up with a pink glove to help women dispose of tampons have sparked a backlash on social media, with critics panning the product as useless and sexist.

Two German men face backlash over 'Pinky' period glove product
A tampon being displayed after its manufacturer. Photo: DPA

At a menstrual cramp-inducing 11.96 for a pack of 48, the Pinky is a plastic glove that doubles as a disposal bag to provide a “discreet solution for pads and tampons”, according to the product website.

Andre Ritterswuerden and Eugen Raimkulow, who met in the army, presented their product on Monday on the German version of the Dragons’ Den TV show where inventors pitch to potential investors, drawing 30,000 from an entrepreneur.

But the two men quickly found themselves facing a slew of disparaging comments on social media, with the hashtag #PinkyGate trending on Twitter on Wednesday.

“We both really do understand women,” Raimkulow said on the TV show, basing their qualifications on both being married and having lived with women in flat shares.

Occasionally, he would “dare to look in the rubbish bin”, he said.

“After a while it just smells unpleasant. And you can see it, because it starts seeping through the paper.”

READ ALSO: Tampon tax: Why menstral products are set to become cheaper in Germany

“Every day there is another useless product for the vagina,” tweeted Canadian-American gynaecologist Jennifer Gunter, author of The Vagina Bible. “I need to throw (the book) at these idiots,” she said.

Even the conservative daily Die Welt waded in, pointing out that plastic gloves and disposal bags can already be bought for a fraction of the price — albeit in other colours.

“Is this a real invention? No,” it said. “It is no surprise that there are no women behind the Pinky but two men, who have no experience of using sanitary products.”

Ritterswuerden and Eugen Raimkulow published a video on Wednesday addressing the criticism.

“In no way did we mean to suggest that menstruation is something disgusting,” they said, adding: “We realise that we have not fully taken on board different views on the subject.”

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