As a woman who has had her period since the age of 11, and used tampons and pads since then, I have a right to know exactly what I’m putting against and inside my own body.

A simple trip to the supermarket will make it shockingly clear to you how little information is listed on products like pads and tampons. Nowadays if you buy anything from a box of biscuits, a set of bed sheets or even face cream, you will see a long list of ingredients on the packaging informing the consumer of exactly what they are buying.

The reality is that the only thing marked on packets of pads and tampons in the UK is a stamp of approval saying ‘Dermatologically tested’. Not only is this not enough, but it also does not mean anything more than that it was tested on human skin. It doesn’t tell us what tests were performed, what they were designed to show, or whether these products ever passed them.  

Where is the guarantee that these products have been tested – and proven safe – against the risk of developing Cervical Cancer?

Which test results give us women the guarantee that the chemicals used in the sanitary pads will NOT react with sweat and cause skin irritations?

It is time that people realise that companies such as Procter & Gamble (manufacturers of Always brand) and Johnson & Johnson (Carefree) are NOT interested in the health benefits or damage that their products may cause. When the period business makes millions of profits, they will not be interested in publishing any damaging reports.*  

* Let’s not forget that in August 2017 a woman in California won £324m in a lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson. She was awarded this sum after claiming that the talc powder she used caused her terminal ovarian cancer. This is the same company that makes one of the period products that don’t list the ingredients.  

From the history books (and indeed some might remember) when smoking cigarettes was meant to be good for you.  Doctors in hospitals smoked, and pregnant women were encouraged to light up, we also record how frantically the cigarette companies fought the legislation which published the results proving that cigarettes caused cancer and were bad for your health.  Why did the cigarette companies fight this and why did people research that cigarettes were bad for you?  I think we ultimately know.  

So why as a modern woman, who has the right to choose which food I buy for my family, which bedsheets to sleep in and which product to use to moisturise my body, why am I not given the right to know what chemicals and every single ingredient are used to make my sanitary pads and tampons. Why is this not enforced by the government, to protect the millions of women and their vaginas using them?

Enough is enough.  Sign this petition and help me deliver this to our leader of the country – force Proctor & Gamble and Johnson & Johnson and indeed all manufacturers of period products to publish on every single box and packet exactly what millions of women are putting against and inside their bodies.  That way we can make informed decisions on what to use.

(Speaking of research and for all those interested, in the USA, Democratic Rep. Carolyn Maloney of New York has introduced legislation nine times since 1997 that would require manufacturers to be more transparent and disclose the complete makeup of tampons, pads and other period products. She wants companies to clearly label not only the fabric used but also any contaminants, fragrances, colourants, dyes and preservatives.  Her bill directs the National Institutes of health to look at these health effects of these products, because, she says there is little research in this area.

Her bill has failed to move beyond the floor all nine times.)

So whilst we are at it, why don’t we get some research published on the long term and lasting effects of using these products, performed by independent research laboratories, and not the companies who are trying to make a profit from women’s periods.