Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI) announced on Tuesday that the majority of sanitary pads in Indonesia contain chlorine
Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI) announced on Tuesday that the majority of sanitary pads in Indonesia contain chlorine.
The announcement was made after the foundation conducted a series of tests on nine sanitary pad products from different brands available in Indonesia.
The results showed that all products contained chlorine, a chemical that according a health ministry regulation can cause irritation and is poisonous.
Some products come from major brands in Indonesia such as Charm, Kotex, Laurier and Softex. Panty liners products from some of these brands were also found to also contain chlorine.
YLKI operational manager Tulus Abadi said using chlorine in the production of sanitary pads violated consumers' right to safe products.
He said that the use of chlorine in sanitary pads risked the health of consumers by causing irritation and potential dangerous effects to women's intimate parts.
'They [Sanitary pads] must be chlorine-free and there should be stricter regulations, so there are no chlorine-containing products,' he said as quoted by kompas.com.
Tulus said that the US Food and Drug Administration recommends that chlorine not be used in sanitary pad products due to its negative health effects.
YLKI also said that sanitary pad producers in Indonesia had violated Consumer Protection Laws because most of them did not put information about expiry dates and ingredients on the products.
The tests were carried out between December 2014 and January 2015 in an accredited laboratory, with samples collected from agents and stores.
The results of the tests have been conveyed to the Health Ministry, which is yet to release a statement. Meanwhile, there have been a variety of responses from sanitary pad producers toward the findings.
'Some have confessed that there is chlorine in their products, and some deny it and have asked us to do a re-test,' YLKI researcher Arum Dinta said. (ika)
The test results are listed below.
List of sanitary pads that contain chlorine
1. Charm (54,73 ppm (parts per million))
2. Nina Anion (39,2 ppm)
3. My Lady (24,44 ppm)
4. VClass Ultra (17,74 ppm)
5. Kotex (8,23 ppm)
6. Hers Protex (7,93 ppm)
7. Laurier (7,77 ppm)
8. Softex (7,3 ppm)
9. Softness Standar Jumbo Pack (6,05 ppm).
List of panty liners that contain chlorine
1. V Class (14,68 ppm)
2. Pure Style (10,22 ppm)
3. My Lady (9,76 ppm)
4. Kotex Fresh Liners (9,66 ppm)
5. Softness Panty Shields (9 ppm)
6. CarFree Superdry. (7,58 ppm)
7. Laurier Active Fit (5,87 ppm).(+++)
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