Do You Know What’s In Your Tampon?
Vaginal inserts that absorb menstrual flow is known as tampons. Tampons are sanitary products that are made of cotton or rayon or a mixture of the two. These are disposable pads that can be used only once.
Egyptians were the first inventors of the tampon. Egyptian women wrapped softened papyrus to create an insert able tampon. Greek women used lint round a piece of wood to create their version of the tampon. Hippocartes refers to the use of tampons made of wool, paper, vegetable fibers, sponges, grass and cotton in his works in the 5th century B.C.
The word tampon is to “stop” or plug in French. Salicyclates were used by the French people to stop the flow of blood from wounds during wars.
So the modern tampon is not a new discovery. It is an adaptation of earlier versions of the product. However, the modern tampon is an improvement in so far as it comes with an applicator cord that was invented by Dr.Earle Haas in 1929. The Tampax Company mass produced it in 1931 for use on bleeding soldiers. The tampon for menstrual flow with applicator cord is credited to Dr.Carl Hahn and Heinz Mittag. The rights to manufacture this product were purchased by Johnson and Johnson in 1974. Organically made tampons were designed by Natracare in 1990.
Most modern tampons are made of 100% cotton. The sizes and absorbency rate determine the packaging. Individual pieces are also available for sale. Axial or radial expansion of the tampon happens during use.
All tampons have an outer cover that aids insertion and a cord that is useful for removal. The tampon typically contains an inner tube and an outer tube with the outer tube being smooth to aid insertion. The applicators or outer tube can be made of plastic or cardboard. The inner tube is the tampon and is held in place with a mechanism that locks it when the tube is pushed into the vagina. There are non applicator tampons which do not contain the outer tube and can just be unwrapped and pushed into the vagina with the fingers.
Tampons are associated with Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS). This is a fatal illness that occurs when tampons are worn for long periods of time. Women are therefore advised to alternate the use of tampons with sanitary napkins and to avoid use of tampons in bed. Tampons may also contain pesticides that are used on cotton. They may also contain chlorine which is the bleaching agent used on cotton. This may lead to the formation of dioxin and may be a health risk.
Tampons are not always safe due to being made from bleaches and other chemicals and recycled papers. Plus the Tampon is inserted into the blood stream and will be absorbed into the body.
In British Columbia, Canada a Company Winalite has a healthy alternative to tampons. The Winalite sanitary napkins stay dry and also have negative ion technology to keep inflammation down.
