Pads made from recycleable materials pose a serious health threat to women

Seventy five percent of women experience itching and pain during their menstrual period, which is mostly caused by the use of sanitary pads which are not air permeable so they cannot reduce moisture. Sanitary pads, even new, can harbour bacteria as they are not sterilized products.

Did you know that in a recent World Health Organisation report, it was found that 83 percent of women have infections of the reproductive organs and out these, 62 percent were due to usage of low quality sanitary napkins?

Did you know that the Number Two Killer disease among women is cervical cancer which kills at a rate of 1,300 per day or a reported half a million cases in any year resulting in 274,000 deaths?

The most unfortunate conclusion we can observe from these gruesome statistics is that most of these deaths could have been prevented if proper hygienic practice included wearing sanitary napkins or pads which do not use recycleable materials.

Recycleable materials in fact constitute a common portion of most of the popular sanitary napkins available in the market now. Unfortunately, because they are marketed heavily, most women accept them as sanitarily-clean, buy them and wear them without question. Many of the women also never bother to look at the expiry dates of these pads.

It is now an established fact that most of the branded sanitary napkins in the market are manufactured with recyclable materials such as paper.

To recycle paper, the main process is called bleaching which is the removal of contaminants and odour as well as bacteria. At the end of the bleaching process, chlo­rine compounds that contain traces of the organochlorin commonly known as dioxin are left as compound residues in the recycle material. Even chemicals associated with removing odour such as deodorant also leave chemical residues.

It is a widely known fact that the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has named dioxin the most potent car­cinogen known to science.

A 1996 EPA study linked dioxin exposure with increased risks for endometriosis (an in­fection of the uterine lining). Endometriosis is also commonly referred to as infertility.

The EPA has also concluded that people with high exposure to dioxins may be at risk for other effects that could suppress the immune system, increase the risk of pelvic inflam­matory disease, reduce fertility, and possibly interfere with normal foetal and childhood de­velopment.

In overseas test, such as done by the renowned Consumer Association of Penang in Malaysia, sanitary pads have been found to contain 400 parts per trillion of dioxin.

Although the paper industry has maintained that such levels are too low to cause any health problems, studies have shown that dioxin appears to migrate easily out of recycled paper products.

We are aware of current strange phenomena in the wild where it was found that fish and other wildlife have died in great numbers. It is not surprising that post-mortem tests have revealed that these animals died after exposure to an incredibly small dose of 38 parts per quadrillion of dioxin.

On the other hand, the continued exposure to dioxin of an average women’s regular use of sanitary napkins of approximately 15,000 pads over the course of her lifetime, can lead to disastrous consequences, including deaths.

Napkins use heavy chemicals in their manufacture

To make a sanitary pad, wood pulp fibres are first dispersed in water in a large tub. Most of the chemicals and dyes required are added at this stage. The pulp is then scraped, brushed and injected with air to make it fleecy.

Some pads contain rayon which also originates from wood for extra absorbency. The cellulose in the wood is dissolved in a caustic solution and squirted into fine jets in an acid bath. The mixture then solidifies and dries into longer fibres.

Chemical processes include de­inking recycled material, washing with deter­gents and bleaching.  This results in some traces of chemical still remaining as residue in the pad.

Additives are also used to enhance the properties of the pad. These include absorbency agents and wet­-strength agent – often, polysorbate and area formaldehyde.

Further bleaching, involving chorine, may take place to achieve that glowing white and fresh appearance.

Whiteness doesn’t necessarily mean it is sanitized nor safe

That’s the part you can see. What about the parts that you can’t see? Amazingly, even in the construction of the pads, such as the plastic bottom to prevent leaks, the materials made will usually be made of polypropylene or rayon.

Even the non-­woven lightweight material which appears like fabric on the front of the pad is of is often made from polypro­pylene or a plastic-based material like rayon.

We know by now that plastic hardly degrades for even thousands or millions of years!

In addition to plastic, the back of the pad has 1 or 2 strips of pressure­ sensitive industrial-type adhesive covered with a strip of silicon­ compound paper. The pads are then packaged in plastic bags or shrink wrapped. Finally, the packet itself may be printed with patterns which have undergone a chemical process.

Full of Bacteria

As sanitary pads are not sterilized, they tend to harbour bacteria easily. In a 1987 CAP test of some popular brands sold in Malaysia, it was found that an unacceptably high bacteria count of up to 11,000 (over 10 times the international safety standard) was found in some of the leading brands. Such high concentration of bacteria – even in new pads – is shocking as this could lead to vaginal infections in women using these pads.

It is strange that sanitary products, like pads, can be marketed so easily without the slightest evidence of safety or efficacy. It is even stranger that despite the intense interest in health issues, advanced economies have not even considered certifying safety as a primary concern in the manufacture of sanitary pads. For example, there isn’t a single label marked on most brands to say that the materials have been chemically treated and that the materials are therefore recycled.

It is understandable when the primary end produce of recycled paper is toilet paper but the use of disposable toilet paper cannot be compared to sanitary pads where the incidence of serious complications associated with dioxins merging into the women’s reproductive organs could quite conceivably result even in infertility which is a current concern in advanced countries.

Just to take an example of the inconsistency in approving sanitary practice or products, Canada for example considers tongue depressors, bandages and dental floss as medical devices but not women menstrual pads! This inconsistency therefore allows major vendors of sanitary pads to target the women’s biological condition as a quick way to make profits: this condition simply means that women are proven to menstruate for at least 35 years with as little as 15,000 changes of pad.


Regular and indiscriminate use of unsanitized pads mean that women are prone to vaginal complications resulting in trauma which is become easy victims of numerous types of sanitary pad complications including what is known as trauma which is a serious and body-altering physical injury.

It is thus important that women know these facts so that they are able to seek safer alternatives. Prior to disposable pads, using cloths, for example, is not only safer but after cleaning them properly can also be reused many times. In fact, women have safely relied on home­made menstrual products using any available absor­bent material for most of history until the advent of the modern disposable sanitary napkin or pads.

Factors to consider when selecting suitable sanitary napkins (sanitary pads).

 1. Choose from different styles, brands, sizes and thickness.

The sanitary napkin needs to cover the vulva and external female genital area; the pur­pose is to prevent leakage. Most pad designs accommodate a size 6 panty size. Con­sider a plus size, extra long or overnight protection for full coverage of larger panty sizes.

2. Select a shape or design

Select shape and design based on your lifestyle. Sanitary napkins come with or without wings and are curved or contoured to prevent leakage on the sides.

3. Consider the absorbency rate

Consider absorbency as high criteria and select a sanitary napkin that is very absorbent thus keeping you dry and comfortable during your menstruation period. If your sanitary napkin embar­rasses you by leaking then try a higher level of absorbency or a new brand.

4. Thickness for comfort

Finding the proper thickness depends to a large extent of your level of physical activities. Some prefer thick protection while others use thin pads to serve their needs without the bulkiness.

5. Best support system for preventing slippage

Discover the best support system for preventing pad slippage. Adhesive strips on the bottom of the pad and wrap ­around wings keep the napkin in place inside the panty. No­tice how well a napkin's support lasts after exercise or exposing it to other consistent movement or moisture like sweat. Determine that the glue are not of industrial grade type and ensure that the adhesive do not cover the length of the vaginal opening as this may interfere with breathability.

How to choose sanitary napkins?

1. Air Permeability

During menstruation, the skin of the women’s sensitive part is most vulnerable. Surveys have shown that 73% of the women would feel itchiness and pain on some parts of the skin during menstruation. These are mostly caused by the use of sanitary napkins which are not air permeable. As such, it is of critical importance to choose suitable sanitary napkins to ensure safety during menstruation. Sanitary napkins are normally made up of three layers: surface layer, absorbent layer and underlying layer. The choice of sani­tary napkins should be based on considerations relating to the materials and functions of these three layers.

2. Surface Layer

Firstly, the surface layer should preferably have a cotton net surface with rapid absorption to avoid wet skin surface. The funnel type of design is better than the bucket type of de­sign as the discharge absorbed would not back flow easily. Some sanitary pads in the market use artificial fibre as the main material for the surface and this may cause problems to those women who have a known allergy with artificial fibre.

3. Absorbency Layer

The middle layer should have effective absorption agents that can turn the absorbed liq­uid discharge into a jelly­like state so that it would not back flow when pressed and would not cause a sticky kind of feeling. Avoid using paper pulp from recycle paper as absorbency agents. Most women will feel uncomfortable with such recyclable materials as the vaginal area is delicate and sensitive.

4. Underlying Layer

The underlying layer should be made of air permeable materials to allow diffusion of wa­ter molecules in the gaseous state. This would keep away the moist air to effectively re­duce the moisture and heat between the sanitary napkins and the body so the area is completely dry providing the user comfort and fresh feeling at the same time.

Changing sanitary napkins to avoid troubles

Due to the special biology makeup and physical characteristics of women, the sanitary napkin is the women’s indispensable ‘friend’; however, this friend may bring considerable problems when it is not treated well.

For ordinary sanitary napkins which are used continuously for two hours, its surface may have bacteria numbering up to 107 per square centimetre. This contamination may seriously affect the health of the women because it can lead to infections.

For example, some symptoms of infection during menstruation include mild fever, external genital infec­tion, skin itch, ascending infections (such as vaginitis, cervicitis, pelvic inflammatory dis­ease, endometritis, etc), leukorrhagia, localized burning sensation or lower abdominal pain, or with fever, nausea; infections of urinary system including urinary tract infection, bladder infection, pyelonephritis, frequent micturition, urgent micturition, dysuria, waist sore and waist pain with fatigue or fever. All of these symptoms can lead to other more serious female genital diseases.

Read up the literature of the infections above or check with your trusted gynaecologist and she or he can tell you more about the complications these infections can cause.

Common mistakes in the use of sanitary napkins

Not washing your hands clean before handling a new sanitary napkin. In the proc­ess of opening, flattening and putting on a sanitary napkin, the hands may bring many bacteria onto the sanitary napkin.
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Keeping the sanitary napkins in the wash room: Most of the washrooms are dark and wet and bacteria growth can easily contaminate the sanitary napkins.

Ignoring the expiry date: In fact, the requirements for hygienic stan­dard of sanitary napkin are very strict and the sanitary napkin loses its functionality as it moves toward its expiry date. Casual research has indicated that most women do not purposely look for the expiry date when buying a sanitary napkin.

Buying sanitary napkins on promotion: Generally, promotional or gift items are mostly slow moving goods which may contain raw materials of inferior quality, less stringent test requirements, longer storage periods, etc, thus their quality suffers.

Using products on trial: Frequent debuts of new brands of sanitary napkins in the market mean that con­sumers are faced with a wider choice of sanitary napkins and with slick advertising, they are easily attracted into buying them. 


For example, there is the popular sanitary nap­kin with a dry net surface but many women with sensitive skin have complained of rashes and itchiness after use. Relying on a manufacturer’s reputation, trusted store, reliability of product’s reputation and one’s own experience is still the most basic principle of judgement and common sense in choosing appropriate sanitary napkins.

Using sanitary napkins with medication or fragrance: Most doctors would not rec­ommend such products because the medication and fragrance may have undesirable ef­fects on the body.

Using each sanitary napkin for a longer time: For women in Asia, the number of sanitary napkins used for each menstruation is apparently lower as compared with women in Europe and America. Saving money in this way at the expense of one’s own health is definitely not wise. It is best to change sanitary napkins every two hours. 

Prefer to have high absorption: It is a fallacy that the high absorption capacity of sanitary napkins means that women can decrease the frequency of changing napkins. Any napkins or pads needs to be changed regularly because the more time it takes between changing will increase the growth of bacteria which is harmful.

Anytime a napkin starts to emit bad odour that is a sign that it needs to be changed. However, the quality of the absorbency means that there are less prone to leakages and this may in a way prolong a pad’s use as the area is rendered dry. A sanitary napkin which has an active agent which can kill bacteria is definitely a superior type and goes a long way toward maintaining hygiene when circumstances do not permit the women to change pads at required intervals.

The Miraculous Negative Ion (Anion) sanitary napkin

Negative ions of anions have the ability to control the amount of positive ions in the atmosphere. Negative ions have been proven to improve your health and well being. All living things in the world are related to anions (or negative ions).

Benefits of Negative Ions

Negative Ions increase the flow of oxygen to the brain; resulting in higher alertness, decreased drowsiness, and more mental energy, Says Pierce J. Howard, PHD, author of The Owners Manual for the Brain: Everyday Applications from Mind Brain Research and director of research at the Centre of Applied Cognitive Sciences in Charlotte, N.C.

They also may protect against germs in the air, resulting in decreased irritation due to inhaling various particles that make you sneeze, cough, or have a throat irritation

 Studies Proving the Effectiveness of Negative Ions

• Help prevent respiratory-related illnesses
• Counteract the effects of smoking
• Anti-depressant
• Help sleep better

 

Healing properties of Negative Ions

Recovery from physical exhaustion or fatigue: 

By increasing oxygen levels in the blood and facilitating more efficient oxygen utilization, negative ions help accelerate recovery from fatigue.

Stabilizing brain function:
By promoting abundant oxygen levels in the blood, negative ions help normalize brain function, resulting in relaxation and calmness.

Blood purification:
By increasing the levels of calcium and sodium in the blood stream, negative ions help restore a healthy (slightly alkaline) PH balance to the blood.

Increasing metabolism:
By stimulating the exchange of electronic substances in cell walls, negative ions help increase metabolism

Strengthening the immune system:
High levels of negative ions promote production of globulin in the blood, resulting in stronger resistance to illness.

Balancing the autonomic nervous system:
Negative ions can calm and relax taut nerves by balancing the opposing sympathetic and parasympathetic branches of the autonomic nervous system.

Promoting better digestion:
By counteracting over-arousal of the sympathetic nervous system, negative ions help ease tension in the stomach and intestines, promoting the production of digestive enzymes and enhancing digestion.

Cell rejuvenation:
Negative ions help revitalize cell metabolism, enhancing the vitality of muscle tissue and strengthening internal organs.

For overall health:
Negative ions can rejuvenate and revitalize all the body’s systems and cells, promoting a stronger overall constitution. If the air contains a low concentration of negative ion (anion), symptoms such as leth­argy, dizziness, migraine, depression and shortness of breath will occur.

According to the standard of World Health Organiza­tion, the concentration of negative ion (anion) in fresh air should not be less than 1000 units negative ion (anion) per cubic centimetre. When the concentration of negative ion (anion) reaches a certain level, the number of bacterial will eventually be reduced to zero.

The negative ion (anion) in the air is possessed of electrodes which can easily attach to the surface of bacteria. This process will produce low electric currents that elimi­nate them and suppresses further multiplication, thus achieving the effects of eradicating bacterial and ster­ilization.

The function of the negative ion Anion sanitary napkin

Every cm cubic of the anionic padding in each piece of Love Moon Anion Sanitary Napkin can release up to 5800 negative ion (anion). The intensity of negative ion (anion) released will effectively suppress the survival and multiplication of bacterial and viruses on the sanitary napkins.

The Negative Ion Chip releases large amount of oxygen, has a balanced PH level and enhances hormonal balance that effectively improves incretion, strengthening immunity, reducing stress, eliminating bacterial, treating inflammation, eradicating odour, removing fatigue, etc, etc.

The Negative Ion Sanitary Napkin with health care functions is researched and devel­oped wholly by Winalite. According to the investigations of the China Ministry of Health, inflammation can be reduced and sterilization takes place if there are at least 1200 nega­tive ions in very cubic centimetre in the air. The negative ion chip in Love Moon Anion Sanitary Napkin can produce 5800 negative ions in very cubic centimetre when there is water or blood, and produces large quantities of dissociate oxygen.

Most of the bacte­ria that cause gyneacopathy (any of various diseases specific to women) are anaerobe, which will die within 30 seconds to 1 minute in oxygen ­just as man will die without oxygen and fish will die without water within 10 min­utes.

Hence large quantities of negative ions and oxygen can penetrate the body easily, thus killing the very causes of diseases ­bacteria and viruses. At the same time, the negative ion chip can radiate far infrared with 4­14 um wavelength, which is the right elec­tromagnetic wave band for reducing inflammation.

Negative ions (Anion) will move up to the womb through the vagina, improving blood circulation. Thus, the silt and blood clot stored long in the vagina can be discharged more smoothly. The womb can be repaired and improvements can be expected in 3­5 days. Then inflammation disappears and no bad odour is left.

Love Moon Anion (Negative Ion) Sanitary Napkin can effectively restrict the growth and survival of bacteria and viruses, activates metabolism, improves secretion, and in­creases immunity. They are also effective in adjusting pressure, resisting bacteria, reduc­ing inflammation, reducing odor and removing tiredness.

You cannot buy Love Moon Anion Sanitary Pads or diapers in your local store. They can only be purchased by a representative. The company is Winalite and it is the only com­pany in the woman's sanitary products industry which is building this business using the network marketing distribution model. This means that you not only earn income from your efforts, but you also earn income from everybody in your 4 infinite income legs of distributors.