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Environmental Impact of Tampons
1.53 billion dollars is spent on tampons per year in the United States. The average woman uses approximately 11,400 tampons in her lifetime. Tampons are made of cotton, rayon, polyester, polyethylene, polypropylene, and fiber finishes. The tampon applicator is composed of polyethylene and polypropylene, which are synthetic, organic polymers hence they are non-biodegradable. Although these polymers cannot degrade via biodegradation they are photodegradable via ultraviolet light. The absorbent material of the tampon is composed of cotton and rayon.

Rayon is made of cellulose fiber derived from wood pulp. Wood pulp contains impurities, such as lignin, that must be removed to produce the degree of cellulose purity that is required for rayon manufacture. The process of removing the impurities from the wood pulp and cotton is known as bleaching. The bleaching process releases dioxins, as a by-product, into the environment in trace amounts. The chemical equation for the bleaching process is: 2NaClO3 + H2SO4 + SO2 à 2ClO2 + 2NaHSO4. This process uses chlorine dioxide in order to minimize the amount of organochlorine compounds, which can lead to the production of dioxins in greater amounts. Exposure to dioxins can cause reproductive defects, carcinogenic effects, and immunological effects. Dioxins are harmful to the environment because they can penetrate biological tissues of animals and humans effortlessly thus causing toxic effects when exposed. Since dioxins are stable, due to their structure, they can last in biological tissues for long periods of time. Thus, once an animal is exposed to dioxins, the dioxins will make their way through the food chain. Consequently, humans are mainly exposed to dioxins via food. Hence, dioxins are harmful to the environment and humans.

If the plastic applicator of the tampon is flushed down the drain it may contaminate the water system, which may in turn harm humans. Tampons being flushed down the drain may also harm marine life from ingestion and acting as transportation for invasive species, which may disrupt habitats. If the applicators are thrown into the trash then they will remain in landfills, which may eventually contaminate the groundwater thus contaminating our drinking water. These aspects of disposal are important to consider because photodegradation is hindered if the applicators are not in direct reach of the UV rays. Thus, instead of degrading the applicators will remain in the landfill or water ceasing to deteriorate. The reaction of photodegradation is as follows: UV radiation attacks the polymer, which leads to a radical formation. This is followed by the absorption of oxygen resulting in end products with carbonyl groups. Additional UV exposure causes the carbonyl groups to undergo a Norrish degradation, which leads to cleavage of the carbon-carbon bond. Ultimately leading to the formation of oxidized low molecular weight fragments. The reaction previously explained is pictured to the right. There has also been research done to show that in correlation with photodegradation biodegradation can occur. The research shows that the process must take place in vitro and that after photodegradation occurs biodegradation will take place. A picture of this reaction is shown to left.

Alternatives
Environmentally friendly alternatives to using tampons are the Divacup, organic tampons, and reusable sanitary pads. Divacups are plastic cups that are worn inside the vagina to collect the fluid. Reusable sanitary pads are similar to disposable sanitary pads, but differ in the sense that they can be washed and used as many times as needed by the owner. These two alternatives are environmentally friendly because they are reusable so they are not adding to the plastic pollution in the water or landfills. Organic tampons are a good alternative because they contain all organic materials so they will not participate in the release of dioxins into the environment when they are made.