Bloody Plastics - The Saga of Sanitary Napkins

[Sulagna Chattopadhyay]

The Indian Government has been promoting better hygiene amongst the user but has turned a blind eye towards disposal of the used sanitary napkins. The modern pads being primarily plastics, clog up drainage and incineration leads to dangerous air pollutants. Putting the used napkins in landfills adds toxins to the soil and groundwater. And in a country like India where littering is a birthright, disposable pads end up along roadsides buried amongst the household refuse and cow dung, or thrown into small dirty ponds that abound the peri-urban commons. We do have a polluters’ pay policy in place - yet the companies are never ever hauled up for not being responsible for the environmental damage that their products may be causing. And, neither do the authorities notice the huge quantities of unhygienic waste being spewed daily.

Plastic Sanitary Napkins: Very few people know what's inside a sanitary napkin or a tampon, or for that matter a diaper. A potentially toxic chemical-dioxin (by product of a chlorine bleaching process), gamut of polymers and plastics, wood pulp, and fragrances are the few things that constitute a slim and ultra modern sanitary napkin. It is high time that we know what is exactly inside a sanitary napkin. Disclosing what’s in the product and its proportion should be made mandatory, not in microscopic print but in large letters, as companies must be accountable for what they manufacture.

Please contribute your views so that we may raise the pressure to bring out a organic or biodegradable alternative to sanitary napkins in India.

[kamla ravikumar]

Please read this link...there is a water Hycinth being used to create bio-degradable sanitary napkins..http://www.ecouterre.com/jani-a-biodegradable-sanitary-napkin-made-...

 

[RAMACHANDRABABU]

Ladies and Gentleman, Instead of talking about the Diapers, or napkins, which have become almost the part and parcel of human society, it is better to create awareness among the manufacturing companies, to produce diapers/napkins that are biodegradable.  People cannot simply leave because they are accustomed. For instance, I have a kid who is 2 years and 1 month old.  We use mama's poko pant while we go for stroll, or informal walks so as to see that she doesn't pee elsewhere.  This is the condition. Earlier these were not found in India, while getting / making people habituated, research work to improve the constituents used in the napkins may be improved for the betterment of the society

[shailendra kumar yadav]

this is really very good to create this type of awareness. thanks to all

 

[reeta malhotra]

I totally agree,good topic to discuss further

[Rohit Singla]

A healthy and positive discussion. Consider this:-

Approximately 80% of Indian women don't use sanitary pads/ napkins as they can't afford it. The so called commercial sanitary pad can't be found for less than Rs. 50/- in the market these days. In a country where a poor family is having its meal (going in the body) in that budget, leave aside the idea of using for menstrual fluids (coming out of body).That means that 80% of the roughly 40 Crore Indian women are not using these pads are actually using some un-sanitised cloth/rags/ash/husk sand. 

Considering an average woman using the cloths/sanitary pads once in a month for 5 days of the 40 crore women, imagine the infectious waste which is generated. This is dumped mainly along with the Municipal solid waste which contaminates the soil (in rainy season due to leaching, it pollutes the ground water!!!)or is dumped into the ponds/canals or in open which has now become a great nuisance.Day by Day Municipal authorities are finding it difficult to handle the municipal solid waste which is non biodegradable, sanitary napkins or used clothes being the biggest contributors. Above all, these have become houses of infections and diseases.

A sanitary pad has an absorbent material which is normally cellulose or mosses which is capable of holding great amounts of fluid. An ultra thin sanitary pad will contain petroleum based products in place of the cellulose/mosses along with the polymeric plastics etc. Moreover the covering on above is white and is either cotton or contains cotton material along with polymeric plastic. First, the mosses are generally non biodegradable and often release hydrogen ions into the atmosphere and create acidic conditions. Polymeric plastic restrict the free flow of air and can trap heat and dampness, potentially promoting the growth of yeast and bacteria in the vaginal area, plasticizing chemicals disrupt embryonic development and are linked to heart disease and cancer.Now to give a white colour to the covering, it is bleached with chlorine compound and allied chemicals which on burning/incinerating releases dioxins into the atmosphere which is noxious for breathing. These days Bt. Cotton (narma) is grown and the commercial available cotton cloth is normally made from Bt. Cotton. Bt. Cotton requires a lot of pesticide spray to maintain its crop. Earlier traditional cotton (Kapah) was grown which didn't required any pesticide spraying.

Using ultra light sanitary pads which contain petroleum based absorbent sometimes causes rashes at the vaginal part of the woman which causes a disease called sporotrichosis, often ignored by women. This disease is caused by the infection of the fungus.This fungal disease usually affects the skin, although other rare forms can affect the lungs, joints, bones and even the brain. The fungus enters through small cuts and abrasions in the skin to cause the infection. Sporotrichosis progresses slowly - the first symptoms may appear 1 to 12 weeks (average 3 weeks) after the initial exposure to the fungus. Serious complications can also develop in patients who have a compromised immune system.

See..

A huge difference can be made if there is awareness about this among women, use of organic cotton based sanitary pads, at subsidized rates to the rural poor women who cant afford these and its after disposal. We need to know that it is just as a Bio-Medical Waste and should be treated as per the Bio-Medical Waste Rules. It should not be mixed with the municipal solid waste or disposed into the canal water/open and for the felicitation of working it out, either the Common Bio Medical Waste Treatment Facilities should collect waste as it is collecting from the Health Care Facilities or there should be mass awareness programs among the women on how can they dispose off these pads to the treatment facilities easily.

P.S. :Inadequate menstrual protection makes adolescent girls(age group 12-18 years) miss 5 days of school in a month (50 days a year). Around 23% of these girls actually drop out of school after they started menstruating.(According to TOI)

[Sulagna Chattopadhyay]

Thank you so much for such great responses. Here are some stats on QUANTUM OF DISPOSED SANITARY NAPKINS. There are about 310 million women in the reproductive age group who are potential users of sanitary pads. According to estimates a woman is likely to use an average of 8000 - 10,000 pieces of sanitary napkins within the 30-40 years of her menstrual life time. In effect therefore 10 million pads may be disposed every hour across the country in the years to come with the aggressive penetration of disposable pads.

[Sarika Baheti]

Essential to bring a biodegradable alternative!!! 

[priti mahajan]

I must congratulate sulagna for taking up this issue. Honestly the major problem lies with unawareness regarding the content and related impacts of the disposal practice for sanitary napkins. A thought of 'Disposal of sanitary napkins can be a cause of environmental pollution' must not even have crossed a lay men's mind.

[Prachi Nimkar]

This is a serious issue which needs some serious efforts to deal with. Prior to that the basic awareness to about it needs to be spread amongst  people where atleast there is seggregation at source itself. Also, the point about revealing the product details should definitely made mandatory .

[Dr. SUBHABRATA PANDA]

I support this idea. Disposal of sanitary napkins needs equal importance like that of bio-medical waste. In this regard both the manufacturers and the users and business men should pay towards this. Manufacturers may look out for environment-cum-user friendly alternative plant-origin materials for making napkins which must be free from carcinogenic organic compounds like dioxin.