A woman is vital in society. She leads and nurtures, learns and creates, teaches and follows. But in order to gracefully dance between her multifaceted roles she needs to be healthy. Now, though there is no conclusive evidence, it is believed that women in the stone age used organic, absorbent material like moss and leaves as their makeshift pads and, today, we live in an age where the commercial manufacture of the “leak protect, stay-dry-technology and cottony soft” sanitary napkins are what most of the female population depend on. Most commercial pads make use of the inevitable buddy of modern life - plastic. With more and more people coming face to face with the dangers of plastic it is high time the awareness on this issue reaches everywhere. Pads use plastic everywhere - the top soft layer is made of Polyethylene, the core use polymers for better absorption, the bottom layer which makes it leak-protect is made of Polypropylene, and of course, the wings and adhesives sometimes use plastic too. Now, we hear a lot about the environmental concerns of it being non-recyclable and non-biodegradable but one must know that it also harms the user. For hygiene and aesthetic purposes pads go through bleaching, which is a chemical process intended to remove impurities and colours but one that releases dioxins as a by-product. These dioxins are considered to be carcinogenic with prolonged exposure even in small amounts. Phthalates, while not intentionally added to the pads, are often found in them, with alarmingly particular regard to the Indian sanitary napkin market. Phthalates are known to be endocrine disruptors meaning they can cause hormonal imbalances and interfere with the normal functioning of the endocrine system. Also, the impermeable plastic used to make these pads ‘leak-free’ makes breathability difficult and reduces airflow trapping moisture and heat which we all know is a popular party environment for bacteria. People with sensitive skin can also get allergies very easily because of the VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) used to add fragrance to the pads. One of the main reasons why there continues to be no action taken against these harmful pads is simply because, in India, there is no law regulating the toxicity levels of the materials used. It simply is a legal deficiency being exploited at the cost of women's health. What do we do? Well, quite simply, we pay homage to our ancestors and ditch the modern buddy. There are brands like IRA that care about the earth and care about you by manufacturing organic cotton pads(link to pads). They’re sustainable and harm-free. They do their main job - which is protecting the health, dignity and comfort of a woman when she goes through a cycle of blood loss. Organic pads like these are completely void of synthetic chemicals, fragrances, dyes and other commercially used materials. This ensures that you stay rash and allergy free. They should be the only choice for women with sensitive skin and irritation. Unlike the normal pads that are quite suffocating, the materials used in organic pads ensure good airflow and ventilation so there’s no room for those bacteria to party anymore.
We are going back to nature in every sense of the phrase. By ditching the conventional pads you’re making sure you stay healthy while leaving a healthy earth for our future generations, just like our ancestors did for us. It just takes a simple purchase of a box of sanitary napkins to preserve the earth and turn your health around. Let’s be the change!
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