Commonly used products possibly contaminated. Where is corporate accountability?

BY STEVEN KASZAB

How safe do you feel when you use commonly accepted popular products these days? What about products that you actually insert into yourselves or consume?

The Environmental International Journal (also Harvard T.H. Chan) recently released a study that found more than a dozen toxic metals, including arsenic and lead in a variety of tampon products in North America and the EU. Researchers detected lead within 30 tampons tested from 14 different brands. That concerns you particularly when millions of these products are sold daily. Seems like the consumer watch dogs and government are not paying attention. Many of these products are made offshore in regions where their governments do absolutely no inspections or apply any regulatory checking system at all.

They tested for the following metals: arsenic, barium, calcium, cadmium, cobalt, chromium, copper, iron, manganese, mercury, nickel, lead, selenium, strontium, vanadium and zinc. One of the tested products showed that its product held 16 metals. European sold tampons had less lead overall.

How did these metals get into the products concerned? The various processes of manufacturing such as the whitening and pigmentation process of tampons. The study showed that organic tampons tested with less lead than non-organic tampons, but they also showed high levels of arsenic.

These metals can attack your inner organs, inner wall of the vagina and other skin surfaces. Many women in the general population use tampons regularly, often for several hours each day. This presents a greater opportunity for metals to leach into a person’s stream and organs.

What is the FDA doing about it? Well of course they are requiring the same manufacturers to self-test their products for health risks. All that has been done so far is the instituting of better labeling to inform consumers of a possible health risk.

It’s like asking the long-time polluter of a river if he is responsible and also to have him keep an eye out of possible pollution and polluters. Corporations need not face any accountability while consumers face multiple health risks over the time after using these products. Our representatives seem to have dropped the ball on this one ladies.