Natracare Regular Tampons with applicators (16) 

The applicators have a rounded, petal-shaped end that makes inserting the tampon easier and more comfortable. The applicator is made from biodegradable card.

TAMPONS are worn inside the vagina and can be inserted using your longest finger or by using a special applicator that is made from plastic or card. You will need to read the instruction leaflet carefully before using tampons because they have been associated with a condition called Toxic Shock Syndrome. Most tampons that are sold in the stores are made from synthetic materials such as viscose or rayon, or a mixture of rayon with some conventionally grown cotton, and polypropylene. Natracare tampons are made from only certified organic 100% cotton.

Why are Natracare tampons made from organic cotton?

26% of the worlds pesticide is sprayed on cotton. These pesticides have been shown to affect the health of wildlife and humans in a devastating way, and as a result, more and more people are worried about the use of pesticides in farming and choose to buy organic produce wherever possible. Conventionally grown cotton is sprayed with many pesticides that release toxins, including dioxin, into the environment, leaving residuals in the cotton.

Cotton is grown around the world, and in many Third World countries, up to 70 per cent of farm workers include children aged five-15, and many teenagers are actively involved in pesticide spraying. In addition to the practice of spraying, 50% of the conventional cotton grown in the world is genetically modified.

Pesticides have been linked to infertility, suicidal depression and the most horrific birth defects imaginable. 

It is time, insists Moyra Bremner, that we realise that choosing the organic option is not simply a lifestyle choice, but a matter of life over death. You can read her article, which first appeared in the Ecologist.

Organic cotton avoids the practice of spraying crops with these pesticides, and organic standards do not permit the use of genetically modified cotton. Natracare tampons are made from only certified organic cotton because we believe it to be a safer and more ethical choice. Organic farming, which does not permit the use of genetically modified materials, helps prevent topsoil erosion, improves soil fertility, protects groundwater, and conserves energy.

What are other tampons made from?

If you are not using Natracare certified organic cotton tampons, the tampons you are using are probably chlorine-bleached and made from either 100% rayon or a mixture of conventionally grown cotton and rayon. If the withdrawal cord of your tampon is coloured, it has been dyed, possibly using azo dyes, which use heavy metals in the dye production process with the potential for heavy metal residuals in the string. Considering that a woman uses over 11,000 tampons in her lifetime, the issue of how the tampon is made and from what is an important health and environmental consideration for women.