Sec. 2. Findings
207 words·~1 min read·
/bill/113/hr/4746/ih/section-2A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
The Congress finds as follows: Feminine hygiene products are widely used by women in the United States today, but there is not enough research on the components of these products. Women may be exposed to substances in tampons and other menstrual products for as long as 60 years over the course of their reproductive lives. The average woman may use as many as 16,800 tampons in her lifetime. A woman on menopausal hormone therapy may use as many as 24,360 tampons in her lifetime.
Trace amounts of dioxins can be found in tampons or other feminine hygiene products. The Environmental Protection Agency and the International Agency for Research on Cancer, an arm of the World Health Organization, have concluded that dioxins are a probable human carcinogen (cancer-causing agent). The Food and Drug Administration (referred to in this section as the FDA ) has historically relied on data provided by manufacturers of feminine hygiene products in determining product safety.
Although the FDA currently requires tampon manufacturers to routinely monitor dioxin levels in raw materials and finished tampons, this information is not readily available to the public. The FDA should consider whether to expand regulation to include other types of feminine hygiene products and a broader list of contaminants.