| Environmental |
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° The worldwide environmental impact of disposable feminine hygiene products is considerable ° The manufacturing of tampons may be harmful to the environment. Bleach and other potentially environmentally damaging chemicals are often employed in tampon production, and important ecological resources, particularly trees, are sacrificed for the wood pulp from which tampons are largely produced ° Average woman menstruates for 39 years, approximately 500 cycles in a lifetime ° Average (very conservative) of 20 pads/tampons per cycle ° Average of 260 pads/ tampons per year ° Average of 10 140 pads/tampons in a lifetime ° Over 15 million menstruating women in South Africa alone, approx 8 million use pads/tampons ° 160 million pads/tampons thrown away per month ° 2 080 million pads/tampons thrown away per year ° 104 thousand million pads/tampons thrown away over next 50 years ° This does not include the packaging: packets/boxes, individual wrapping, applicators, sticky strip covers |
