JOHANNESBURG -- JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africa's user regulatory authorization is investigating 9 sanitary pad suppliers aft a section assemblage survey detected perchance harmful chemicals successful immoderate menstrual products they merchantability to women successful the country.
On Monday, the National Consumer Commission (NCC) said its probe could instrumentality six months oregon much to complete. In the interim, suppliers are asked to taxable their astir caller trial results, with results expected successful a month.
“The NCC is prioritizing this investigation,” spokesperson Phetho Ntaba told The Associated Press.
The enquiry follows a survey published by the University of the Free State (UFS) past period that recovered astatine slightest 2 endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), specified arsenic phthalates, bisphenols, and parabens, successful 16 brands of sanitary pads and 8 types of pantyliners fashionable successful South African retail stores.
Ntaba said the probe is focused lone connected 9 suppliers who distributed much than 1 product, including Johnson & Johnson and Procter & Gamble, which merchantability menstrual products successful North America, parts of Europe, Kenya, Nigeria, and Pakistan.
Authorities person said the probe whitethorn pb to a large callback of the identified merchandise batches.
Among the brands nether probe are the JSE-listed Premier Group, which manufactures Lil-lets products, and Kimberly-Clark South Africa, the section part of the U.S.-based Kimberly-Clark Corp, which owns Kotex pads distributed successful dozens of countries worldwide.
Authorities volition besides look into Swedish multinational Essity Hygiene and Health AB, which sells the Libresse feminine hygiene products; Chinese shaper My Time; Here We Flo, and section manufacturers Anna Organics and The Lion Match Company, which owns the Comfitex sanitary pads brand.
The companies person not commented connected the study’s findings.
The world study, published past week successful the peer-reviewed diary Science of the Total Environment, recovered that successful liners, EDC detection frequencies ranged from 75% to 100%, whereas successful pads they ranged from 50% to 100%. The chemicals were detected adjacent successful those products marketed arsenic ’free from harmful chemicals, raising questions astir semipermanent exposure, user safety, and transparency.
The World Health Organization states that EDCs tin interfere with the hormonal system, which whitethorn effect successful metabolic abnormalities, developmental disorders, fertility impairment, reproductive issues, and an accrued hazard of respective malignancies.
While the probe does not found contiguous oregon short-term wellness harm, scientists said it raised concerns astir cumulative vulnerability implicit time, peculiarly fixed the prolonged and repeated usage of menstrual products passim a woman’s reproductive beingness span.
Political parties and women's advocacy groups person made calls for manufacturers to beryllium held accountable.
Noting nationalist concerns, UFS said that alternatively than implying causation, recommending merchandise withdrawal, oregon suggesting negligence by manufacturers, its probe explores imaginable associations betwixt menstrual products and wellness issues, promoting further objective investigation.
Researchers noted that these substances were not ever added intentionally and they whitethorn migrate into products from plastics, adhesives, and manufacturing processes.
“The intent of the technological probe conducted astatine the assemblage is not to make fear, anxiety, and panic, but to pass and empower consumers, policymakers, and wellness professionals done robust information and technological evidence,” UFS said successful a connection connected Friday.
Parliament has welcomed the probe for prioritizing the wellness and information of South Africans.
The Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities said it volition enactment with the wellness section and different applicable regulatory bodies, specified arsenic the South African Bureau of Standards, to measure and heighten the existent regulatory frameworks governing menstrual wellness products.
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