Our Flushed Tampon & Other Period Products Might Be Killing Marine Life - Here's Why
Plumbers and wastewater experts have been reminding us against flushing anything but toilet paper, since other materials can cause clogs and lead to pricey repairs.
Independent testing has revealed the presence of microplastics not only in wrappers and tampon applicators but also in some tampon strings and in the tampons and pads themselves.
Marissa Wu, programs and operations director for the Roundhouse Aquarium in Manhattan Beach, said, "They take around 500 to 800 years to break down. … And that’s just an estimation. We don’t fully know how long it’s going to take because some of the first plastics that were made are still out there, right?"
She suggested a very basic thing people can do is to stop flushing any period products down the toilet and, instead, wrap them in toilet paper and deposit them in waste baskets.
Wu also recommends women either consider reusable products, like period panties or menstrual cups, or look for single-use products that are made of organic cotton and don’t contain plastic.
Unfortunately, reusable and organic products tend to cost substantially more than traditional period products.
"It’s a very personal decision, so I encourage people to treat it that way and treat yourselves with respect to make sure that you’re aware of what brands you’re using and what they put in those products."
Such findings raised concerns for Wu in terms of personal health. And as a marine life expert, she also started to think about what happens when those materials end up in our sewer systems.
The products otherwise are largely cotton, which is among the crops most heavily treated with pesticides.