What Your Tampon’s Made Of Might Kill You…

Toxic Shock Syndrome can be deadly. In the first week of 2016 four girls in Michigan went to the hospital with acute cases of TSS. Synthetic tampons provide the ideal breeding ground for the strain of staph that multiplies until your organs to shut down. The symptoms of TSS are vomiting, rash and sometimes a fever, making them very similar to many other illness and often misdiagnosed.

From Vice:

In the 1980s, Tierno’s research showed a link between synthetic tampon ingredients and TSS. And though many of those ingredients aren’t used in tampons anymore, one still is: viscose rayon. With the exception of 100 percent cotton tampons, Tierno says all tampons on the market are made with viscose rayon, and are much more readily available than their all-cotton counterparts. But even the FDA calls a connection between rayon and TSS “allegations.”

In the 1980s, Tierno’s research showed a link between synthetic tampon ingredients and TSS. And though many of those ingredients aren’t used in tampons anymore, one still is: viscose rayon. With the exception of 100 percent cotton tampons, Tierno says all tampons on the market are made with viscose rayon, and are much more readily available than their all-cotton counterparts. But even the FDA calls a connection between rayon and TSS “allegations.”

“I have never, ever—in all my work with TSS—ever had a result of all cotton [tampons] resulting in toxic shock,” said Tierno, who has been researching toxic shock syndrome for over 30 years. “All current tampons made by major manufacturers are mixes of viscose rayon and cotton,” meaning most women use those, rather than the harder-to-find cotton variety.

Tierno says that one of the worst issues is that people think TSS is a thing of the past. “Toxic shock does still occur,” he said. “People are unaware that its a problem at this point. It will remain a problem unless something else happens.”

Representative Carolyn Maloney, from New York, has been pushing for safer tampons since the 1990s. She says that despite TSS’s rarity, it’s something that needs to be watched. “We have learned of several high-profile cases of TSS in the past year, and part of the reason is that the media is paying more attention to it,” she said, “and because women are paying more attention to it.”

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