Manufacturers have recalled 3,100 boxes of sanitary towels in France and Canada after a consumer magazine claimed they may contain ‘potentially toxic residues’.
A team of researchers working for the 60 Millions de Consommateurs claim that some of the eleven brands they tested, including Always and Tampax, contain traces of harmful chemicals in them, such as cancer-causing dioxins and insecticides.
The recall involved Italian Corman’s Organyc brand of pantyliner, which was found to contain traces of Glyphosate, a pesticide found in Roundup weedkiller.
A spokeswoman told AFP: “We don’t think it is dangerous, it’s simply a precautionary measure, because our priority is the safety and health of our consumers,”
While the traces are reported to be small and there is a low risk of harm to consumers, the chemical residues could potentially damage the immune system.
The report also includes tampon products made by pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson, which has been ordered to pay $72million to the family of a deceased woman who claimed the brand’s Baby Powder caused her ovarian cancer.
