In a country where even the usage of sanitary pads is getting universalized yet, how can we get to the point of discussing its ingredients? Though it’s no more an awkward moment for the urban Indian millennial to go and purchase a sanitary napkin, things are not the same in rural India. However, this is not what the debate-in-question is about. This debate is, in fact, questioning the very righteousness of these sanitary pads.
If you know, sanitary pad manufacturing companies are not required by law to state its ingredients on the packet. This is because they are labelled as ‘medical products’ and hence, they are exempted from the ingredient-listing.
No research has been conducted to attest the quality standards of sanitary napkins that are sold in Indian markets. However, there have been individuals, organisations and NGOs who have pointed out the presence of harmful chemical products in sanitary napkins which are potentially harmful for women.
The contents of a sanitary napkin and its harms
“The absorbent layer is the key component of the napkin and the extent to which this layer is able to absorb and retain the fluid determines the efficiency of the napkin. This bulk layer of a napkin is a non woven web, made of hydrophilic cellulosic staple fibers like wood pulp, cotton linters, viscose etc. Most of the wood pulp used for the purpose is imported, and therefore expensive, increasing the overall cost of a sanitary napkin. Cotton is seen as a major fiber poised to replace wood pulp especially in the feminine hygiene products where less bulky is preferred and thinner is better. The high cost of cotton is the reason why it has not been able to replace pulp,” read Chanana’s paper Design and Development of Low Cost Sanitary Napkins using Cotton Knitwear Waste, which was published in Health Positive, Journal of Best Practices in Clinical Medicine and Public Health, November 2009.