In Wake of National Tampon Recall Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal calls on Kotex to Disclose Ingredients

New York, NY – In light of the national recall on some Kotex brand tampons, I demand that the Kimberly-Clark Corporation publicly disclose product ingredients so that menstruators who have been or might be impacted by the defective products can work with their health care providers to identify and manage any symptoms that resulted from exposure.

We use tampons and pads 24/7 for one week out of the month for 40 years or more in some cases, yet we have no idea what they are actually made of. We have a right to know what is in the products we put in and on our bodies. That right becomes even more vital when menstruators report vaginal irritation and infection, along with vomiting and muscle pain, as a result of defective Kotex brand products breaking apart and being left inside their bodies.

I am the sponsor of New York State legislation to require menstrual product ingredient disclosure on all product packaging. Kotex brand is just one in a sea of menstrual product manufacturers that refuse to disclose product ingredients. It is now incumbent upon Kotex to provide this vital information to thousands of product users they have endangered.

Use of menstrual hygiene products is a biological necessity, and to keep menstruators in the dark about the risks this may pose to their health is willfully negligent. It’s time we demand more from menstrual product companies.