Woman to WomanAn Open Letter from Bio Business President Willi Nolan
Woman to Woman
Writing about terra femme and why I started Bio Business is difficult. The topic
touches upon issues such as public health, women's health, the environment,
government relations to corporations, corporate responsibility, women's
perceptions about their bodies and media exploitation of our pre-programmed
shame and fear regarding female fertility.
I began my foray into the world of marketing menstrual care products over
three years ago after discovering a chlorine-free pure cotton tampon
that was available in Europe, but not North America. "Just what's in the
tampons I'm using now?" I wondered, hoping that I wouldn't discover what I
knew I would, being a curious woman, mistrustful of mass-marketed products
and indiscriminate, polluting manufacturing processes.
As an active, working mother of two, I buy organic foods, breast-fed and
cloth-diapered my children, try not to eat too much hormone-fed meat, wash
my clothes and floors with real biodegradable soaps, recycle all the paper from
my home and office, and so on. My community work is extensive and intense
-- I founded and developed a 111-unit housing project for assaulted women and
children, which opened its doors in August, 1992. I continue to work actively
for women, children, and for people who are socially and economically
disadvantaged. I believe that I am a responsible, relatively well-informed
eco-womanist, and here I was facing yet another possibility of unknowingly
poisoning myself with toxic chemicals.
I researched tampons and found that all of the major brands are made with materials which are treated with chlorine-based chemicals, and therefore, must be contaminated with dioxin and
other toxic by-products. I also discovered that these tampons contained a
number of questionable other "additives" which would very likely compromise
women's health.
Further study determined that fiber loss was another significant health issue for
women using tampons. As the tiny fibres are released from the product, an
opportunity exists for these fibres to become lodged in vaginal tissues. Tiny
lacerations in the vaginal tissue form points of entry for rayon fibers and
bacteria, such as Staphylococcus aureus which has been implicated in
tampon-related Toxic Shock Syndrome. In addition, both the paper and plastic
applicators can cause lacerations of the cervix and vaginal walls, sometimes
even arterial laceration from the cusps of plastic applicators.*
What about the other "additives?" Why is polysorbate-60 and tween-20 (tween-20 ???) added
to some tampons? Tampons have also been found to contain boron, aluminum,
copper, waxes, surfactants, alcohols, acids, nitrogen compounds and
hydrocarbons. These residual compounds make up as much 3.8 percent by
weight of some tampons.*
"A worthwhile business," I thought. Preliminary market research showed that
most women were interested in getting hold of a better tampon. More
importantly, nearly all of the women that I surveyed had the sense that
something was wrong with the tampons that they were using.
In November 1991, I launched Bio Business International. Not only would I
finally be able to provide a future for my family, but I could use some of
resources generated to address a few serious social problems at the same time.
That's why Bio Business assigns part of its resources from terra femme sales to
organizations that provide meaningful assistance to women and children. We
also share the resources of the company as much as possible to assist in
worthwhile projects like women's economic empowerment.
As for marketing tampons, I have always been aware of the disgust with my
body that I am made to feel when reading advertisements for "discreet sanitary
protection" and "feminine hygiene products." Women have suffered with these
kinds of traditional values long enough! So, I researched traditional and new
ways of thinking about menstruation; we use them to market terra femme
tampons and initiate a positive view of the female fertility cycle. For instance, we
call our tampons "menstrual health care products" instead of "sanitary products,"
thereby respecting the dignity of this health-giving, natural and necessary bodily
function.
Most tampon companies consider the contents of their products to be
"proprietary information." I don't. Perhaps that is because I'm proud to list the
ingredients in my tampons -- 100% medical-grade cotton, oxygen bleach,
recycled paperboard boxes with no added chlorine. That's all!
In health,
President, Bio Business International, Inc.
Wilhelmina (Willi) Nolan