Menstruation and Eco-sustainability:
A Problem Statement
Unsustainable Menstrual Practices
Sanitary pads were first introduced in India in the 1930s. However, it wasn’t until the late 1980s and early 1990s that the disposable plastic sanitary pads (DPSPs) with adhesives gained mass popularity. And even though the commercially manufactured sanitary pads, did to an extent, succeed in starting the discourse around menstruation and menstrual hygiene, the shame and misconceptions around menstrual blood were never addressed. Menstruation-related commercials, which were banned prior to 1993, were just that – advertisements that promoted products. They were aimed at the urban upper class which had with its increasing per capita income and need for purchasing new products and experiences become the target of manufacturers. The convenience of the use-and-throw plastic pad appealed to the sensibilities of the urban upper class women as most of them were either working or engaged in activities outside the confines of their homes.
Our current consumption patterns with its culture of one-time-use-and-throw disposables are the highest contributors to environmental pollution, with unsegregated urban household wastes like plastic bags, plastic wraps, raw and cooked food, packaging for medicines, and sanitary pads, being dumped into sewers, rivers, lakes, and landfills every day. The mismanaged plastic waste in India alone amounts to millions of metric tonnes per year, with millions of metric tonnes more of microplastics being released into waterways and contaminating ecosystems. This is a global challenge since the sewers and rivers eventually flow into the oceans, while the lakes and the land are entwined with the groundwater table of the Earth’s eco-system.
According to government data there are approximately 350 million menstruating girls and women in India, out of which approximately 130 million use sanitary pads. Due to the many taboos and shame surrounding the subject of menstruation, little attention has been paid to what constitutes the commercially manufactured sanitary pads, and how it impacts the health of the user as well as that of the environment.
Impact on women’s health
Extensive research conducted to study the nature of the raw materials that are used for manufacturing sanitary pads and other related menstrual hygiene products have shown them to contain toxic chemicals, pesticides, and carcinogens. These harmful elements are easily absorbed by the skin and the vaginal tract, and have proven to be harmful to the reproductive (uterine) and the endocrine systems of the users. Studies have shown that wearing the same sanitary pad for an extended period of time i.e. longer than the recommended duration of 4-6 hours, increases the risk of cervical cancer and RTIs. It also negatively affects embryonic development during pregnancy.
Commercially manufactured plastic sanitary pads, which are valued based on their fragrance, softness (feel), capacity for absorption, etc., contain aromatic hydrocarbons and super absorbent polymers that are responsible for such attributes in the product. Super absorbent polymers, which are used in order to increase the absorption capacity of the pads, have come to be associated with toxic shock syndrome (TSS), a condition which can
often become life-threatening. Plasticizers, which are used to increase the longevity of the pads, have been found to cause ovulation disorders, endometriosis, female genital tumors, and the early onset of puberty.
The cotton present in sanitary pads is bleached using chlorine, which releases dioxins and furans into the environment if not incinerated properly or completely. Other toxic chemicals and carcinogens such as acetone, chloroform, chloroethane, chloromethane, and styrene are also present in sanitary pads.
Impact on environmental health
90% of the material that goes into making a regular disposable plastic sanitary pad (DPSP) is plastic, i.e., both macro and microplastic, which simply breaks down into nanoplastic instead of decomposing or degrading when exposed to the natural elements. Tampons too are made of plastic and do not biodegrade over time. While most sanitary pads end up in landfills after use, tampons are usually flushed down toilets and pollute our water streams before making their way to the oceans. Most of this menstrual product waste resurfaces on beaches along the coastline. Now a prominent contributor to marine pollution, menstrual product waste have been found to be ingested by sea birds and other marine animals. Millions of marine animals are killed by ocean plastics every year.
According to research, a single disposable plastic sanitary pad takes anywhere between 500 and 800 years to fully decompose. Since sanitary pads are nonbiodegradable they continue to leach toxic chemicals that are present in them into the soil and the water resources even after they are discarded, causing ground water as well as soil pollution. Considering the 130 million pad users in India itself, the menstrual waste in the country amounts to more than 12 billion sanitary pads every year. While most of this menstrual waste is disposed of along with other routine household waste, some of it is buried, while some simply thrown out in the open and the rest incinerated. Improper incineration or burning of sanitary pads have shown to release carcinogenic gases like dioxins and furans into the atmosphere.
Today, we are faced with ecological crises, the kinds we have never seen before – environmental degradation, climate change, and the loss of bio-diversity. Undoubtedly, our current consumption patterns are wrecking havoc on land and marine ecology and bringing about an imbalance in the natural eco-system. Therefore, promoting the use of regular plastic sanitary pads in order to address the issue of menstrual health and hygiene is proving to be counter-productive to the cause of environmental protection and conservation.
