Sanitary napkins found to contain toxic substances: Tampax and Always are not sold in Vietnam

After news broke that P&G sanitary napkins contained toxic substances that could cause cancer, the company's representative in Vietnam spoke up to confirm that the products were 'safe to use' and there was no recall.

Photo: Shutterstock

Ms. Le Thi Tuyet Mai, Communications Director of Proter & Gamble Vietnam (P&G VN), affirmed: “The information that 60 Million Consumers Magazine (France) mentioned dioxin in Tampax products is false. Tampax and Always products are safe to use.”

According to Ms. Mai, the cleaning process of cotton and rayon used to make P&G products is a non-chlorine treatment process. Therefore, it cannot create dioxin. The company has conducted many analyses over the past 3 years on similar products and evaluated over 200 active insecticides to confirm that no insecticides and herbicides are present in the products. The application of the organic solvent extraction method does not reflect the physiological conditions when using the products.

“We only use ingredients that have been thoroughly evaluated to ensure their safety. These safety assessments have been reviewed by a panel of independent experts in the fields of physics, science, and health agencies such as the US Food and Drug Administration,” Mai said.

In addition, the Communications Director of P&G Vietnam affirmed: "There is no recall of Tampax and Always products by P&G in Canada and France. Therefore, the news about the recall of the above two products is false."

Tampax and Always products are not available in Vietnam.

P&G Vietnam representative also confirmed that Tampax and Always products are currently not imported and distributed in the Vietnamese market.

According to reporters at major supermarket chains in Ho Chi Minh City such as Coop Mart, Big C, VinMark and markets and dealer stores, two sanitary napkin brands Tampax and Always of P&G are currently not available on the Vietnamese market.

In Vietnam today, P&G's Whisper sanitary napkins and Pamper's baby diapers are sold in almost all supermarkets, markets, and department stores. According to some sellers, these are two prestigious and very popular brands that almost all female consumers know and trust. The prices of these two products are also higher than some other brands of the same type.

Previously, researchers at the magazine 60 Millions de Consommateurs (roughly translated as 60 Million Consumers ) had information finding traces of halogen waste, a byproduct related to the processing of raw materials, in Tampax tampons and pesticide residues in some samples of Always brand sanitary napkins (both by P&G).

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), dioxin is a toxic substance that can cause cancer, reproductive and developmental problems, and damage the immune system.

The Local reported that the information prompted the French Institute for Consumer Protection to ask the government to tighten controls on feminine hygiene products and make product labels more transparent. They also recommended that companies list all ingredients in their products to help women understand potential health risks. The petition has received nearly 190,000 signatures.

After the news that P&G sanitary napkins contain toxic substances that can cause cancer, many women expressed concern about choosing to use this essential product.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/phat-hien-bang-ve-sinh-chua-chat-doc-hai-tampax-va-always-khong-ban-o-vn-185544949.htm