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A debate is going on social media to make sanitary napkins tax-free.
The idea looks great in the first instance but researching more into it, we will realise that it will only benefit the companies who are into sanitary napkins and middle-class people to a certain extent.
In the long term, it is dangerous for everyone including those who pick sanitary napkins.
There are 3 major concerns to using disposable sanitary napkins (DSNs):
- Health hazards to the user due to the chemical cocktail involved (dioxin, furan, pesticides and other endocrine disruptors)
- Environmental hazard due to non-biodegradable parts and chemical toxins – to every living being through direct handling, and indirectly through food chains
- Social hazard due to the acceptability of disposables and shaming of reusables.
Recently, we asked The Logical Indian community: “Why is the idea of reusables – cloth, cloth pads, cloth pads with leak-proof layer and/or fasteners, period panties, microfibre pads, menstrual cups, etc. – not being widely accepted and what are the problems women face while making the transition from DSNs to reusables?”
These were the most noteworthy responses:
The entire debate can be read here.
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