Product safety

The safety of products is of key importance to the nonwovens and related industry. Below are some of the initiatives to develop and bring safe products to the consumer.

Safety of absorbent hygiene products

Absorbent hygiene products (AHP) comprise menstrual products (sanitary napkins, panty liners and tampons), baby diapers and incontinence care products. They have a history of more than 50 years of safe use worldwide.

Millions of products are used safely each day and absorbent hygiene products manufacturers ensure that all products comply with local legislation and are safe for their intended and foreseeable uses. Absorbent hygiene products and their raw materials are produced from natural and/or synthetic polymers. Raw materials are selected according to strict quality criteria. Before being released onto the market, the composition and safety of all raw materials are reviewed taking into account potential toxicity to the consumer and the environment.

During manufacture, strict quality control systems are in use to ensure product quality and hygiene. Manufacturers of absorbent hygiene products apply good manufacturing practices and high safety and environmental standards. EDANA members carry out post-marketing surveillance of their products in which they actively respond to consumer comments to ensure continuously the quality and safety of their products.

To further strengthen the industry’s safety efforts and enhance consumer confidence. EDANA and its members have embraced a new level of action and transparency on levels of trace substances with the voluntary EDANA Stewardship Program for AHP.

EDANA’s member companies – the product manufacturers and their suppliers - keep safety at the very heart of what they do.

Sometimes reports mention chemical traces in absorbent hygiene products for women and babies. It is important to understand that chemical traces may come from different sources in our daily environment, that everything in life, including products that we use every day and the food we eat, contains chemicals, both natural and synthetic in origin. Occasionally when trace chemicals are identified it does not mean that they present a health risk in any way to consumers. For many years, billions of absorbent hygiene products have been safely used by people all over the world. EDANA’s member companies – the product manufacturers and their suppliers - keep safety at the very heart of what they do.

For any questions please contact

Luminita Barbu

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Composition of sanitary products

Some misconceptions revolve around how absorbent hygiene products are manufactured and what their components are. The reality is that these products are constructed from raw materials such as cellulose pulp, the same material paper is made of, and polyester that you will find in your clothes and your sportswear.

The final products and their components are made of natural or man-made materials such as cellulose pulp, viscose, cotton, super absorbent materials, polymers such as polyester, polyethylene, polypropylene and various adhesives.

Absorbent hygiene products are produced in several steps in compliance with local and international safety standards and regulations.

Raw materials are selected according to strict quality criteria and during manufacture, rigorous quality control systems and good manufacturing practices are in place to ensure the highest hygienic standards are met.

Additional information about absorbent hygiene products, including how they are made can be found the following pages:

BABY DIAPERS COMPOSTION
MENSTRUAL PRODUCTS COMPOSTION
ADULT INCONTINENCE PRODUCTS COMPOSITION

The industry developed the following documents to contribute to delivering better and safer products:

Supply chain information for absorbent hygiene products

The basic information you need to know about the product safety and regulatory requirements for placing absorbent hygiene products (AHP) on the market in the European Union.

Download the Supply chain information for Absorbent Hygiene Products

Trace levels in products

Chemicals which are found in very low amounts (some barely detectable, measured in parts per billion or even parts per trillion) are referred to as “residues” and/or “traces”.

How traces are identified depends upon what analysis is used and how sensitive it is. Today it is possible to detect smaller and smaller amounts of substances by using advanced analysis and detection techniques – even at amounts that are well below the levels that are established as safe for human use/consumption.

Some tests use harsh methods to extract the various elements from a product, which while effective for measurement, does not represent the real conditions under which people use absorbent hygiene products. These stringent tests often involve the shredding of products and use chemical solvents which we do not have on our skin. A better alternative is to extract elements using a solution of salt in water, which better reflects real life conditions, and the relevant exposure during use by consumers.

What are dioxins? Are there dioxins in absorbent hygiene products?

Dioxins are a group of chemical compounds which are present in the environment, as they are created both by natural (e.g. forest fires) and industrial processes (e.g. combustion engines, or treatment with chlorine). This means it is not unusual to find very small traces of dioxins in food, clothes and consumer products.

Manufacturers of absorbent hygiene products neither add dioxins to their products nor use dioxins during the manufacturing process. Reports that the purification process for the fibres in products such as tampons and baby diapers create dioxins harmful for consumers are untrue.

Purification is a cleansing method for fibres, and also helps improve the absorbency of the products they are used in. Purification and bleaching methods used today in the absorbent hygiene industry do not create dioxins, because these methods are elemental or totally chlorine-free.

Traces may be found in absorbent hygiene products due to the ever-present nature of dioxins, as environmental pollutants, but the traces are at such a low level that it is lower than exposure from other sources such as food. For example, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has tested tampons for dioxin traces and advised that there is no concern to human health – to read the report click here: http://www.fda.gov/downloads/scienceresearch/specialtopics/womenshealthresearch/ucm135376.pdf.

What are halogenated organic compounds? Are there halogenated organic compounds in absorbent hygiene products?

Halogenated organic compounds are a group of chemical compounds that contain at least one halogen (fluorine, chlorine, bromine or iodine) combined with carbon. Compounds differ in how they react and behave depending on the chemical structure and which halogen it is.

Some media have identified traces of halogenated organic compounds in absorbent hygiene products; however, consumers can be sure that halogenated organic compounds are not intentionally added during the manufacture of absorbent hygiene products.

Halogens may be detected by tests used to detect either extractable organic halogens (EOX) or absorbable organic halogens (AOX) – subsets of the broader category of halogens. One test for AOX is typically used to measure pollutants in waste water testing as specified by ISO 9562:2004, to indicate the overall level of halogens and to assess the environmental quality of water.

The method is not specific and not validated for finished products. By testing absorbent hygiene products this way, real-life conditions are not reflected therefore test results are likely to be misleading. Consumers cannot draw any reliable conclusions about the safety of absorbent hygiene products from such tests.

What are herbicides and pesticides? Are there herbicides and pesticides in absorbent hygiene products?

Herbicides and pesticides are substances used in farming to destroy insects or other organisms harmful to crops, plants or to animals. Stories have circulated online that traces of pesticides and the herbicide glyphosate can be found in baby diapers and feminine hygiene products.

Manufacturers of absorbent hygiene products neither add pesticides to their products nor use pesticides during the manufacturing process and carry out strict controls of the final products and their raw materials.

Viscose, cotton, and other polymers used in baby diapers and feminine hygiene products follow strict legal requirements (including EU regulations) and voluntary guidelines on consumer product safety. Such voluntary guidelines may be published by organisations in the EU Member States, such as the German Institute for risk assessments BfR (‘Bundesinstitut für Risikobewertung’) and the Austrian Health Ministry (in German)

A report on the safety of feminine hygiene products issued by the Swiss Office of Federal Food Safety (OSAV) can be read here (available in French, German and Italian).

In addition, the absorbent materials (such as pulp and cotton) are thoroughly processed and evaluated before their use. During processing, any residues that may be harmful to consumers are removed, and EDANA member companies work closely with their suppliers to ensure this.