WEBVTT

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Menstruation. Your Period. Aunt Flo.

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Women’s Trouble. That Time of The Month.

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Coming Into Womanhood. The Crimson Wave. 
The Red Badge of Courage.

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Flying Your Colors. The Invasion of the Red Army.

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Riding the Cotton Pony. Full Stop.

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I have a feeling I may have lost the
male demographic already…

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For something so little discussed,
it has so many names.

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Menstruation has long been taboo across many
cultures,

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with women’s cycles regarded

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as everything from inconvenient to unclean.

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With the creation and evolution


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of various
feminine hygiene products

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a term which itself frames women
as being in need of sanitation,

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the big red taboo remains,

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only now with brightly colored packaging

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and laughably unrealistic advertisements

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of blissfully happy menstruating women.

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With the introduction
of tampons in the 1930s

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a new level of freedom was afforded
to menstruating women everywhere.

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Or so they were told

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Underneath the sanitized imagery


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of these apparently revolutionary devices

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remains the inter-related
and oft-neglected question:

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Are tampons vegan?

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And are they even safe?

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Hi it’s Emily from Bite Size Vegan

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and welcome to another vegan nugget.

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When I started researching
for this topic,

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I figured it would be 
a relatively simple video

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to throw together.

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Twenty plus hours later,

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I found myself deep in a 
US patent document from 1997,

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tracing down various horrific
tampon safety experiments from the 1980s.

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Starting with
the obligatory Google search,

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I found a lot of people asking 
about the vegan status of tampons,

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but only uncertainty
and vague supposition in response.

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Certainly they couldn’t
be tested on animals.

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I mean, how would that even work?

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As I dug further into the legal history 
of tampon regulation and litigation,

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I realized that this video needed to
encompass more than a simple yes or no.

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Today we’ll be looking at three
inter-connected aspects of the

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tampon issue: women’s health,
animal testing, and environmental

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impact, though this topic bleeds
into many other areas as well...

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couldn't help myself...

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including important women's
rights issues.

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We’ll spend a good bit of time
on the health aspect

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because it lays the groundwork
for both the animal testing

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and environmental impact aspects,

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and is incredibly vital information
for women and girls to have.

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You can find chapter markers
for navigation in the video description.

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I will have a list of resources,
along with citations to everything I state,

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available on the blog post for this video
if you want to delve deeper.

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This is a rich and complex subject
that one could spend a week

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every month investigating
and still have more to learn.

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Moving on…

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Feminine hygiene products are marketed as
synonymous with feminine health.

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But are they, and tampons in particular,
really in a woman’s best interest?

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When it comes to the health impact
of tampons there are three main variables:

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the ingredients, the absorbency level,
and the bleaching process.

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Each of these relates
to two main health concerns:

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Toxic Shock Syndrome 
and dioxin exposure.

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To address each of these,
we need a brief history

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of the little cotton rockets.

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Things have come a long way since 
the belted-on cotton rag contraptions of old,

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but really, tampons aren’t as new
as you may think.

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Introduced commercially
in Europe in the 1930s,

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they didn’t reach wide acceptance in the
United States until around 1974,

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due to puritanical concerns
that they threatened

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the integrity of a woman’s virginity. 


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In 1974, Procter and Gable

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released the Rely brand tampon
and American women joined

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their European counterparts
in revolutionizing that time of the month.

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Because what woman doesn’t want
“an assurance of daintiness [she’s] never known before”

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while doubled over in pain as her uterus
plays out its personal Armageddon?

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As early as 1975, anecdotal evidence arose
connecting Toxic Shock Syndrome

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to tampon use.

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Toxic Shock Syndrome, or TSS, is a rare
but potentially fatal medical condition

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caused by toxins produced
by a bacterium and characterized

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by fever, headache, nausea
and vomiting, diarrhea, confusion,

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low blood pressure, rash, and sometimes
seizures, among other symptoms.

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Regardless of this disturbing connection 
to their products, tampon companies

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didn’t investigate for five years,
and only then when confronted

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by the Center for Disease Control
and forced to pay damages to affected women.

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Finding the companies had literally 
no information about the effects

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of their products on vaginal physiology 
and microbiology,

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the CDC undertook it’s own tests
and within 3-4 weeks

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had established that TSS was caused
by a particular toxin secreted

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by a particular bacterial strain
known as staphylococcus aureus.

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In the summer of 1980, 
the CDC recommended warnings be issued

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with tampons, a regulation which
went into formal effect in 1982

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and remains today,
as well as cautioned women

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that if they wanted to avoid 
the risk of TSS, to stop using tampons.

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The CDC report also found that Procter and
Gamble’s Rely tampons

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carried the highest risk for TSS.

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Rely tampons were uniquely composed
of carboxymethylcellulose

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and compressed beads
of polyester

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while other companies 
utilized a blend of cotton and rayon.

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“It’s totally different from any other
tampon. See Rely is made of two materials.

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Each has advantages of its own, 
but combined, they’re even better.”

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Originally tampons were 100% cotton, 
but in an effort to combat leakage,

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companies increased absorbency
by introducing blends of synthetic fibers

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including polyester, polyacrylate rayon,
carboxymehtylcellulose and viscose rayon.

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With the rise of TSS cases,
all but cotton and rayon were phased out.

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While the Food and Drug Administration
insists that rayon is safe.

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experts like Dr. Philip Tierno,
director of microbiology

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and diagnostic immunology at New York
University Medical Center,

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insists that 100% cotton tampons
present the lowest risk.

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But before you run out to purchase
a small cotton plantation

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for residence in your nether regions,
it’s important to note that cotton

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is the dirtiest crop on the planet,
occupying only 2.4% of the world’s cropland

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but using 16-25% of the world’s pesticides.

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Aldicarb, for example, a pesticide commonly
used in cotton production,

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is so toxic that a single drop
absorbed through the skin

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can kill an adult human.
And let’s not forget Lauren Wasser,

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the model who at 24 years old had
her right leg amputated

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due to Toxic Shock Syndrome
contracted from Kotex Natural Balance.

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cotton tampons.
Though she’s now

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she's doing excellent work challenging
and redefining beauty standards.

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But tampon ingredients
aren’t the only factor.

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In 1980 two influential studies
were published

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which indicated that
tampon absorbency rating

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was a greater risk factor for TSS
than tampon ingredients,

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with the risk rising
with absorbency level.

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The FDA sprung into action
and four years later proposed the creation

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of federal regulations 
for absorbency standards.

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After only another five years
of lively back and forth

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with industry leaders, the FDA finally
released their ruling

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for “Ranges of Absorbency Labeling”
for menstrual tampons

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on October 26th, 1989.
Made it in under a decade.

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Well done.

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While women could now take comfort in the
uniformity of tampon absorbency levels,

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it was still impossible for them 
to know exactly what they

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were putting in their bodies.

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As early as 1982, 
the FDA was asked to require

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ingredient labeling for tampons
due to growing customer concerns.

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But despite the advice of its own
Obstetrics-Gynecology Devices Panel,

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it refused to do so.
For a product that has such prolonged

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and intimate contact with one of
the most sensitive and absorbent

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part of the body, 
the nondisclosure of ingredients

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is unsettling at best.

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Because the FDA classifies tampons
as medical devices, companies

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are under no obligation to reveal
what’s in their tampons.

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Which leads us
to the second major health concern:

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dioxin exposure in relation
to the bleaching process

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of tampon production.

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Dioxins are a group
of chemically-related compounds

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that are persistent environmental
pollutants

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which, due to their fat solubility, 
accumulate and remain in the body

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for 7-11 years.

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According to the World Health
organization, “dioxins are highly toxic

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and can cause reproductive
and developmental problems,

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damage the immune system, interfere
with hormones and also cause cancer.”

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While the majority of dioxins people come
into contact with are through meat, dairy,

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fish and shellfish consumption,
they are also a byproduct

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of the chlorine bleaching process
used in the manufacture of paper products,

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including the rayon in tampons.

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In 1987, an FDA scientist stated that, “It
is critical to an adequate risk assessment

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that the level of dioxins in tampons,
sanitary pads, diapers,

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and other medical devices be measured.

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The capacity to measure such levels
exists within FDA.

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Extraction data for dioxin
from these products...

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would improve the accuracy
of any risk assessment.”

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Yet the FDA again refused the advice
of its own people,

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saying there wasn’t adequate data
on dioxins to warrant labeling.

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Later in 1990, along with the EPA
and Consumer Product Safety Commission,

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the FDA authored a study of risks
related to products containing

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chlorine-bleached wood pulp and found
the dioxin levels to be negligible.

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However, numerous specialists
disagreed with their conclusion.

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One particularly firm voice was that of
House Representative Carolyn B. Maloney,

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who introduced a bill on November 7, 1997
proposing an act entitled

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“The Tampon Safety
and Research Act of 1997.”

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The act “provided for research
to determine the extent to which

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the presence of dioxin, synthetic fibers,
and other additives in menstrual

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tampons pose any risk to 
the health of women.”

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Sadly, Maloney’s act was not passed.
But, ever persistent,

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she resubmitted it in 1999,

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2003,

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2005,

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2008,

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2011,

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2014

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and 2015,

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now calling it “The Robin Danielson Act,”
after a woman who died from TSS in 1998.

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An important element of Maloney’s
argument remains that the FDA itself

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doesn’t monitor dioxin levels, 
but rather relies on companies

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to self-monitor and submit reports.

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Because if ever there were someone
the honor system was made for,

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it’s faceless multi-billion
dollar corporations!

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The dioxin levels found to be negligible
by these organizations are based

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on one tampon, 
negating the accumulation

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within the body.

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Maloney compares this to 
basing the health risks of smoking

00:10:12.660 --> 00:10:14.250
on one cigarette.

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While tampon companies have moved from
the original chlorine gas bleaching methods

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to either elemental chlorine-free
bleaching or totally

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chlorine-free bleaching, 
most manufacturers use the former,

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which still produces dioxins.

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Now know what you must be thinking. 
“Okay, okay, I get it!

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Tampons are toxic, infection-filled
cancer sticks for my naughty bits.

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It’s a tamponspiracy!

00:10:36.569 --> 00:10:40.509
But what’s that got to do with
veganism?” I’m so glad you asked.

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Well, with all the aforementioned
safety issues,

00:10:42.449 --> 00:10:46.549
scientists of course realized that
the only way to keep women safe

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from the great white threat
was to torture and kill mice, rabbits,

00:10:49.920 --> 00:10:53.619
chickens, rats, hamsters, guinea pigs,
monkeys, sheep, goats and baboons.

00:10:53.619 --> 00:10:57.350
Because nothing says feminine daintiness
like brutal vivisection.

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While I’ve always had to dig down
several layers to get to the substantial

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studies when I’ve researched animal testing
for particular products like medication,

00:11:06.419 --> 00:11:09.410
cigarettes or what have you,
there’s always been some readily

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accessible information with which to start.
This was not the case with tampons.

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Outside of questions and debates on vegan
forums and a totally uncited excerpt

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posted and reposted on vegan tumblrs,
I couldn’t find specific information

00:11:22.029 --> 00:11:25.250
on how or even if tampons
are tested on animals.

00:11:25.250 --> 00:11:30.000
However, much like nature’s gift to women,
I’m nothing if not persistent.

00:11:30.000 --> 00:11:31.999
I eventually found my way
to a document for

00:11:31.999 --> 00:11:36.819
US Patent number 5641503 A
for additives to tampons,

00:11:36.819 --> 00:11:41.449
filed on January 13th, 1995 and published
June 24th, 1997, on behalf

00:11:41.449 --> 00:11:47.349
of Mcneil-Ppc, Inc, owned by the more
widely known Johnson & Johnson.

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This document described
several experiments,

00:11:49.530 --> 00:11:53.620
giving me just enough to search
out the original papers as a starting place.

00:11:53.620 --> 00:11:57.390
Now I’m not sure the difficulty of finding
such studies was purposeful

00:11:57.390 --> 00:12:00.690
but it was certainly in the best interest
of tampon producers everywhere.

00:12:00.690 --> 00:12:03.079
I’ll briefly describe some
choice examples

00:12:03.079 --> 00:12:06.639
of the very un-vegan side of tampons,
but do refer to the blog post

00:12:06.639 --> 00:12:09.639
for links to additional
and more thorough examples.

00:12:09.639 --> 00:12:11.660
And I won’t be showing anything graphic.

00:12:11.660 --> 00:12:14.419
The studies were hard enough
to find let alone photos.

00:12:14.419 --> 00:12:16.669
To start, almost every experiment
I encountered,

00:12:16.669 --> 00:12:20.979
whether using live animals or not,
at least employed the use of rabbits’ blood

00:12:20.979 --> 00:12:25.289
and either bovine brain heart agar,
which is exactly what it sounds like,

00:12:25.289 --> 00:12:29.149
or some sort of beef heart medium,
with several also employing

00:12:29.149 --> 00:12:32.230
sheep erythrocytes,
and one using fetal calf serum.

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A rather unique study incubated fertilized
hen’s eggs for 11 days and then injected

00:12:37.160 --> 00:12:42.410
the live chicken embryos with Toxic Shock
Syndrome Toxin One, knows as TSST-1.

00:12:42.410 --> 00:12:47.439
The embryos were then “examined
for death 24 hours after the injection.”

00:12:47.439 --> 00:12:50.780
Rabbit models for tampon safety
come in several variations.

00:12:50.780 --> 00:12:54.700
Some rabbits received multiple
intradermal injections into their backs

00:12:54.700 --> 00:13:00.499
of the TSS toxin over a period of 7 weeks
at which point “the rabbits were bled.”

00:13:00.499 --> 00:13:03.379
One experiment described
strapping the rabbits into a rack

00:13:03.379 --> 00:13:06.270
for four hours to acclimate them
so they’d fight less

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when restrained for injection.

00:13:08.170 --> 00:13:11.839
Then their “deaths were recorded
and surviving rabbits were observed after

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four days for gross myocardial
and liver necrosis.” Some were also

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given endotoxins “to determine
their susceptibility to lethal shock.”

00:13:19.680 --> 00:13:23.809
Other methods implanted subcutaneous
diffusion chambers under the rabbits’ skin

00:13:23.809 --> 00:13:25.639
for a steady release of toxins.

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One such experiment included
that their diffusion chambers were made

00:13:29.089 --> 00:13:31.779
of “perforated polyethylene gold balls.”

00:13:31.779 --> 00:13:34.900
Yet other rabbits had four
diffusion chambers implanted

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in their uteruses, releasing toxins
directly into their wombs.

00:13:38.630 --> 00:13:41.009
The chambers were “recovered
at the time of death

00:13:41.009 --> 00:13:44.220
or after 14 days
when the experiment was terminated,”

00:13:44.220 --> 00:13:47.489
at which time all remaining rabbits
were killed and dissected.

00:13:47.489 --> 00:13:51.360
Some rabbits endured the repeated
vaginal insertion of actual tampons

00:13:51.360 --> 00:13:54.450
laced with live TSST positive bacteria.

00:13:54.450 --> 00:13:58.079
In one such experiment,
rabbits had an infected tampon inserted

00:13:58.079 --> 00:14:01.760
and left for four hours before having it
removed and the process repeated

00:14:01.760 --> 00:14:04.280
with a sterile tampon,
and then again with a third

00:14:04.280 --> 00:14:09.209
that was left in for 14-16 hours
to simulate overnight usage.

00:14:09.209 --> 00:14:12.459
Menstruation was simulated
by injecting a mixture of rabbit blood

00:14:12.459 --> 00:14:15.479
and bovine serum albumin
into the rabbits’ vaginas

00:14:15.479 --> 00:14:17.169
once the tampons were in place.

00:14:17.169 --> 00:14:21.079
Perhaps the most bizarre iteration
was an experiment where tampons

00:14:21.079 --> 00:14:25.850
were inserted subcutaneously into the
tissue on the back of the rabbits’ necks.

00:14:25.850 --> 00:14:28.769
The forced vaginal insertion
of toxin-laced tampons

00:14:28.769 --> 00:14:32.339
was also inflicted upon baboons,
with one experiment leaving them in

00:14:32.339 --> 00:14:35.449
for twelve hours at a time
“to allow for additional growth

00:14:35.449 --> 00:14:40.240
of staphylococcus aureus and TSST-1
production within the vaginal cavity.”

00:14:40.240 --> 00:14:44.430
Guinea pigs also received intravaginal
innoculations of the TSS toxin

00:14:44.430 --> 00:14:47.820
and other associated strains
in an experiment carried out

00:14:47.820 --> 00:14:51.279
at a University 15 minutes
from where I currently live.

00:14:51.419 --> 00:14:55.309
One report used terminology
I’ve never before seen in a scientific paper

00:14:55.309 --> 00:14:58.059
stating that the rabbits
who hadn’t already died

00:14:58.059 --> 00:15:02.549
were “sacrificed” for dissection,
a term which actually captures

00:15:02.549 --> 00:15:05.279
rather simply the main
argument for animal testing.

00:15:05.279 --> 00:15:08.539
Namely that it’s a necessary sacrifice
for the greater good.

00:15:08.539 --> 00:15:11.819
I have an entire video series
on animal testing delving into

00:15:11.819 --> 00:15:14.489
this argument and more,
but a summary review

00:15:14.489 --> 00:15:17.720
on Toxic Shock Syndrome research
from within the scientific community

00:15:17.720 --> 00:15:21.409
itself and one that’s in favor
of continued experimentation,

00:15:21.409 --> 00:15:23.209
says it better than I ever could:

00:15:23.209 --> 00:15:27.810
“That S. aureus strains produce
a wide number of extracellular products…

00:15:27.810 --> 00:15:31.019
which cause severe biologic effects
in some animals makes it difficult

00:15:31.019 --> 00:15:35.049
to confirm that the symptoms noted
in animals given TSST-1 or infected

00:15:35.049 --> 00:15:40.079
with TSST-1-producing strains are
specific for TSS in humans.”

00:15:40.079 --> 00:15:43.189
Basically meaning because these are mice,
rabbits, rats, hamsters,

00:15:43.189 --> 00:15:46.979
guinea pigs, monkeys, sheep,
goats, and baboons, and not humans,

00:15:46.979 --> 00:15:51.290
the results can’t be relied upon
as indicators of human reactions.

00:15:51.290 --> 00:15:53.270
So what was the point?

00:15:53.560 --> 00:15:57.969
Well, the report assures that
“Nonetheless, most animal model data

00:15:57.969 --> 00:16:01.269
relating to the effects
of TSST-1 strongly support its role

00:16:01.269 --> 00:16:04.219
as the most prominent toxin causing TSS.”

00:16:04.369 --> 00:16:05.589
Excellent.

00:16:05.589 --> 00:16:09.309
Now we know that the Toxic Shock
Syndrome Toxin Number One

00:16:09.309 --> 00:16:13.109
is the most prominent cause
of Toxic Shock Syndrome.

00:16:13.109 --> 00:16:16.149
I’m sure every one of those beings
who was injected,

00:16:16.149 --> 00:16:22.009
cut into, raped with toxin-laced tampons,
and “sacrificed” can rest easy knowing

00:16:22.009 --> 00:16:26.239
their invaluable contribution to
science was not in vain.

00:16:27.139 --> 00:16:30.740
While most of the specific experiments
I described were from the eighties

00:16:30.740 --> 00:16:34.180
and nineties, with a few in the 2000’s
this kind of experimentation

00:16:34.180 --> 00:16:38.120
continues today all over the world,
right in our own backyards.

00:16:38.120 --> 00:16:40.960
Now if what we’ve covered already isn’t
reason enough to ditch

00:16:40.960 --> 00:16:43.719
the little toxic seeds
of vaginal destruction,

00:16:43.719 --> 00:16:47.419
let’s briefly look into the environmental
impact of our Monthly Visitor

00:16:47.419 --> 00:16:52.380
The average woman will throw away
250-300 pounds of menstruation products

00:16:52.380 --> 00:16:56.430
including as many as 16,800 tampons
in her lifetime.

00:16:56.430 --> 00:17:00.599
While both tampons and pads leach
chemicals, including dioxins, into the water

00:17:00.599 --> 00:17:04.239
and soil, tampons in particular
are a major hazard to marine life.

00:17:04.239 --> 00:17:07.049
The buoyant applicators can float out
for miles and are often eaten

00:17:07.049 --> 00:17:10.740
by marine wildlife,
becoming lodged in their digestive tracts,

00:17:10.740 --> 00:17:12.440
causing them to slowly starve to death.


00:17:12.440 --> 00:17:16.020
Some also contain bisphenol A,
an endocrine disruptor

00:17:16.020 --> 00:17:18.950
proven to have harmful effects
on aquatic wildlife.

00:17:18.950 --> 00:17:22.620
Used tampons and pads
can harbor harmful pathogens and bacteria,

00:17:22.620 --> 00:17:27.470
and their decomposition in landfills
is unlikely to impossible with a 2005 study

00:17:27.470 --> 00:17:32.010
showing tampons to be the slowest 
to degrade of all paper/cotton products.

00:17:32.010 --> 00:17:33.560
I think it’s safe to say,
after all of this,

00:17:33.560 --> 00:17:36.560
that mainstream tampons
are decidedly not vegan

00:17:36.560 --> 00:17:39.380
and very, very likely, not safe.

00:17:39.380 --> 00:17:42.770
So what’s a girl to do
when the Uterine Ninjas arrive?

00:17:42.770 --> 00:17:47.050
Well, luckily there are alternatives
which I have links to on the blog post.

00:17:47.050 --> 00:17:50.230
There are several brands
of 100% organic cotton tampons,

00:17:50.230 --> 00:17:53.590
which sidesteps the toxic chemicals
of conventional cotton

00:17:53.590 --> 00:17:57.130
and the questionable affects of rayon,
though can still contribute

00:17:57.130 --> 00:17:59.750
to pollution even if
labeled biodegradable.

00:17:59.750 --> 00:18:04.090
The ones I have listed on the blog post
have clear no animal testing policies.

00:18:04.090 --> 00:18:07.710
An alternative that checks all the boxes
is a menstrual cup,

00:18:07.710 --> 00:18:10.390
which, believe it or not,
even predates the tampon,

00:18:10.390 --> 00:18:13.720
with the first known concept arising in 1867.

00:18:13.720 --> 00:18:17.610
Though distributed since the 1930’s,
menstrual cups have not seen

00:18:17.610 --> 00:18:21.380
the same success as tampons,
possibly in part because of their lack

00:18:21.380 --> 00:18:23.630
of built in obsolescence,
meaning most of the companies

00:18:23.630 --> 00:18:25.630
are small and independently run.

00:18:25.630 --> 00:18:28.970
Options include the Keeper,
the Diva Cup, and more.

00:18:28.970 --> 00:18:31.590
Additionally, for your pads,
as they are composed of the same

00:18:31.590 --> 00:18:35.640
questionable materials and toxins,
and just as environmentally destructive,

00:18:35.640 --> 00:18:39.330
there are reusable cloth options
like GladRags and Lunapads,

00:18:39.330 --> 00:18:41.510
with organic non-bleached options.

00:18:41.510 --> 00:18:45.920
Both the cups and reusable pads
have to struggle against societal norms

00:18:45.920 --> 00:18:50.240
and menstruation taboos as they require
a bit more intimacy with your own anatomy.

00:18:50.240 --> 00:18:53.490
But when you think of your health,
the needless torture of animals,

00:18:53.490 --> 00:18:56.960
and the destruction of the planet
and its marine life, getting a little more

00:18:56.960 --> 00:19:00.620
acquainted with your private parts
seems a small price to pay.

00:19:00.620 --> 00:19:05.410
And since cups and cloth last for years,
you actually save money!

00:19:05.410 --> 00:19:09.600
I hope that this video has been helpful.
It’s far longer than I originally envisioned

00:19:09.600 --> 00:19:13.820
but in seeing how very little reliable
information is out there on this topic,

00:19:13.820 --> 00:19:15.320
I really wanted to be thorough.

00:19:15.320 --> 00:19:19.230
Menstruation is nothing to
be ashamed of or secretive about.

00:19:19.230 --> 00:19:22.240
Just like the importance of exposing
the animal products industries,

00:19:22.240 --> 00:19:25.850
it’s only when we shine a light on what’s
hidden that we can know what we

00:19:25.850 --> 00:19:29.510
are supporting and choose to make
different decisions from here on out.

00:19:29.700 --> 00:19:33.480
The time it took to produce this video
clocks in at about [62 hours].

00:19:33.480 --> 00:19:36.770
If you’d like to help support
Bite Size Vegan so I can keep

00:19:36.770 --> 00:19:39.920
putting in the long hours to bring you
this educational resource,

00:19:39.920 --> 00:19:43.100
please check out the support links in the
video description below where you can give

00:19:43.100 --> 00:19:46.550
a one-time donation or receive
perks and rewards for your support

00:19:46.550 --> 00:19:50.390
by joining the Nugget Army, the link for that
is also in the iCard sidebar.

00:19:50.390 --> 00:19:55.810
I’d like to give a special thanks my $50
and above patrons and my whole Patreon family

00:19:55.810 --> 00:19:58.730
for making this
and all of my videos possible.

00:19:58.730 --> 00:20:00.740
You are beyond awesomtastic.

00:20:00.740 --> 00:20:03.490
Now I’d love to hear your thoughts on this
red-hot report.

00:20:03.490 --> 00:20:05.570
Did you know this information about tampons?

00:20:05.570 --> 00:20:09.150
What alternatives do you use
or think you’d like to try in place

00:20:09.150 --> 00:20:12.840
of those treacherous tomes of toxic death?
Let me know in the comments!

00:20:12.840 --> 00:20:15.880
If you enjoyed this video, please give it
a thumbs up and share it around

00:20:15.880 --> 00:20:19.570
to help inform other women and girls.
If you’re new, be sure to hit

00:20:19.570 --> 00:20:22.900
that big red subscribe button down there
for more awesome vegan content

00:20:22.900 --> 00:20:25.110
every Monday, Wednesday, and some Fridays.

00:20:25.110 --> 00:20:27.286
Now go live vegan,
Ride the Crimson Wave

00:20:27.286 --> 00:20:30.166
on the Cotton Pony, 
and I’ll see you soon.

00:20:30.986 --> 00:20:34.462
I just discovered something great!
It's Rely.

00:20:34.462 --> 00:20:38.792
A new tampon from Proctor and Gamble.
It's really different and better.

00:20:38.792 --> 00:20:43.184
Really a better tampon.
Remember they named it Rely.

00:20:43.784 --> 00:20:48.262
If you use Rely Tampons here is an
important message from Proctor and Gamble.

00:20:48.262 --> 00:20:53.019
Women who use Rely Tampons should
stop using them and return any unused

00:20:53.019 --> 00:20:55.268
product to Proctor and Gamble
for a refund.

00:20:55.268 --> 00:20:59.309
Proctor and Gamble has suspended the
sale of Rely tampons.

00:20:59.309 --> 00:21:02.835
This action has been taken until more
is known about a new disease

00:21:02.835 --> 00:21:07.699
called Toxic Shock Syndrome.
Some studies suggest that Rely Tampons

00:21:07.699 --> 00:21:10.500
increase the risk more than other
tampon brands.

00:21:10.500 --> 00:21:13.453
We advise you to stop using Rely
tampons.

00:21:14.603 --> 00:21:16.802
Remember they
named it Rely