By Lee Kyung-min
Sanitary pads pose no health risks to women, the government said Thursday.
The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety disclosed its study of 666 sanitary pads made by 61 manufacturers on the levels of harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that can easily vaporize.
Many women feared VOCs could be absorbed into their bodies while wearing them during menstruation.
Of the total, 492 pads were manufactured by 19 local companies, and 167 were imported from 40 overseas companies.
The ministry studied the levels of the 10 most harmful VOCs found in the pads. There were 84 VOCs under safety review, with the results on the remaining 74 expected by the end of this year.
VOCs are released from burning fuel, gasoline, wood and coal. Examples of such compounds are gasoline, benzene and formaldehyde, the latter two of which are listed as human carcinogens.
Given there is no internationally recognized standard on measuring VOC levels in sanitary pads, the ministry used gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, a method to identify certain substances in a test sample.
Various VOCs were found with varying amounts, but which were negligible to women’s health, the ministry said.
“We concluded there is no safety issue concerning the use of sanitary pads currently available on the market,” said Lee Dong-hee, a ministry official. “Our study concluded that no significant amount of VOCs was found in the products.”
The ministry also said 380 diapers all met safety requirements and 10 diapers made by the top five manufacturers had low VOC levels, which it said were negligible.
In order to allay public concerns, a joint task force will be set up to conduct an epidemiological study seeking to identify the cause of illnesses and side effects associated with the use of sanitary pads.
The task force will be comprised of officials from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, Ministry of Environment and Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).
It will study more than 3,000 reported cases filed with the food safety ministry, women’s groups and the Korea Consumer Agency.
However, many women remain skeptical despite the government’s announcement.
“I already decided to use cotton pads instead of disposable pads that may be killing me. Using cotton pads is far more inconvenient, I know, but I’m willing to do that for my health,” a woman surnamed Lee said.
A group of women demanded this critical women’s health issue be thoroughly discussed and for preventative measures to be ordered at the National Assembly inspection of the government slated for next month.
“Most women use sanitary pads over most of their lifetime. The government should require companies to fully disclose the ingredients of every single pad,” they said.
“We will watch closely how this issue gets deliberated at the National Assembly.”