June 05, 2018
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Jenny Gaines
Senior Director, Communications & Engagement
(571) 348-5110
gainesj@socma.com
Product ingredient safety a high priority for BAHP member companies
ARLINGTON, VA– The Center for Baby and Adult Hygiene Products (BAHP) Executive Director Jane Wishneff released the following statement on behalf of the industry in response to the Women’s Voices for the Earth (WVE) report regarding the safety of feminine hygiene products:
“BAHP is disappointed that the Women’s Voices for the Earth has released a report that is unsubstantiated and based on misinformation regarding the safety of feminine hygiene products. The report, which needlessly frightens women, ignores the extensive information that is readily available supporting the safety of these products. Feminine hygiene products are classified as medical devices under federal law and are subject to specific regulatory requirements, including device listing, appropriate labeling, adverse event reporting and good manufacturing practices. These requirements are applicable to all feminine hygiene products before they are available for purchase and while they are in market. In addition, the Agency has rigorous inspection processes in place for all facilities that manufacture them.
Product and ingredient safety are the highest priority for all BAHP member companies. Our members use industry-approved, state-of-the-art testing methods on their products and screen for background substances. Like many other background substances found in consumer products, carbon disulfide (CS2) is both used in manufacturing processes and naturally occurring. For example, CS2 is naturally found in the body as it is produced by healthy bacteria in the digestive system. While CS2 is listed on California’s Proposition 65, the amount of CS2 found in feminine hygiene products is over a thousand times below safe thresholds accepted by regulatory agencies.
As analytical testing methods get more sensitive, they are able to detect substances at very low levels. In fact, testing shows that products of all compositions – rayon, cotton and organic cotton – all contain low amounts of background substances that have no meaningful impact on the product’s safety. Even WVE’s own volatile organic compound (VOC) testing – a method that does not provide women with meaningful data relevant to the way they actually use and interact with feminine hygiene products in the real world, and that inappropriately exaggerates very small and safe levels of substances – confirms that none of the background substances found impact the safety profile of the products tested or the safety of the women who use them.
BAHP members take the responsibility of educating girls and women very seriously and are committed to providing accurate and useful information regarding the ingredients in these products. As such, BAHP members voluntarily provide listings of ingredients used in their feminine hygiene products on their websites and/or through their consumer affairs.
Our industry remains committed to safety, quality and innovation that responds to consumer needs, and women can confidently continue to use and enjoy these products.”
About BAHP
The Center for Baby and Adult Hygiene Products (BAHP) represents companies that produce personal hygiene products, including disposable diapers, adult incontinence products, tampons, feminine care pads and personal hygiene wipes. Visit www.femcareanswers.com.
Categorized in: Affiliates