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.

[GOPI KANTA GHOSH]

Absolutely right...thanks for raising awareness

[Ritesh Sharma]

I totally agree with this idea. For me it is equally hazardous like Bio-medical waste apart from plastic hazard. 

[Joseph Viruthiyel]

This is an eye opener and I guess a "breaking knowledge" type of blog.

[Ajit S. Joshi]

Yes. There should be a declaration of its constituents present in them on the colourful wrapper so that the consumer is also aware of what type of sanitary napkin has to be bought. Also, there should be a more scientific manner to dispose the sanitary napkin.

[Chirag Bhimani]

We should bring more awareness and also like scientific disposal of Bio Medical Waste, some proper and systematic method of disposal should be made.

[Madhuri Mondal]

Yes, there should be some biodegradable alternative to the plastic sanitary napkins