Toxic PFAS in sanitary pads harms reproductive health, advocates say

Carefree sanitary napkins are contaminated with toxic PFAS ‘forever chemicals’, which threaten the reproductive health of women who use the products, a new lawsuit filed in California state court alleges.

The lawsuit demands that Carefree and its parent company, personal care products giant Edgewell, remove PFAS from the products or place a warning label on the packaging.

The exposure is potentially a “major health concern,” said Vineet Dubey, an attorney representing the Ecological Alliance, a consumer group that filed the lawsuit.

“This is a product that goes directly into the bloodstream because of the way it is used and applied to women’s bodies, so this is alarming and frightening,” Dubey said. The lawsuit was brought before California Proposition 65 law requiring companies to warn state consumers if toxic chemicals are present in products.

Edgewell did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

PFAS are a class of about 15,000 chemicals commonly used to make products that resist water, stains and heat. They are called ‘forever chemicals’ because they do not break down naturally and accumulate in people and the environment. The chemicals have been linked to cancer, kidney disease, liver problems, immune disorders, birth defects and other serious health problems.

There are virtually no federal restrictions on PFAS in consumer products, despite their widespread use throughout the economy.

Ecological Alliance tested the products and found PFOA, one of the most common and dangerous PFAS compounds. The Environmental Protection Agency determined this year that virtually no level of exposure to PFOA in drinking water is safe and set a drinking water limit of 4ppt (parts per trillion). Tests showed that PFOA leached from the sanitary napkins at approximately 756 ppt per hour.

Recent research has found that the skin likely absorbs PFAS much faster than previously thought, raising concerns about a product pressed against women’s skin for hours.

PFOA is that specifically linked to reproductive health problems such as hormone disruption, low birth weight, infertility, immune system toxicity in fetuses and more.

It is unclear why the chemicals are in the products. PFAS are often used as waterproofing agents, and it is possible that PFOA, or a chemical that breaks down to PFOA once released into the environment, is deliberately added. PFAS have been found in high concentrations in toilet paper and diapers. It is also possible that accidental contamination is occurring somewhere along the supply chain.

Ecological Alliance filed a formal notice in February that it plans to sue Carefree if the company doesn’t remove the chemicals or take action, or if regulators and the state’s attorney general don’t take action. No one responded to the report.

The lawsuit asks the judge to stop sales of the products until they are free of the chemicals. Dubey has previously filed a lawsuit under Proposition 65 over PFAS or other toxic chemical contamination and said companies often reformulate products or make supply chain changes to address the problem, but they don’t always do so.

“I hope (Carefree) acts responsibly because of the potentially dangerous exposure to PFAS in this way, but I have never left it up to companies to fight to the death to do the wrong thing,” he added.

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