Menstrual Hygiene Day: Chennai sanitation workers bear brunt of improperly disposed pads

While menstruation itself continues to be a taboo subject, unhygienic use and disposal of sanitary pads — especially in metropolitan cities like Chennai — is slowly exacting a toll on not only the environment but also human lives. According to 2019 data available with the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Government of India, 121 million women in the country use sanitary napkins; that’s one billion pads per month, 12 billion a year. Incorrect disposal adds to the problem, with sanitary napkins dumped — unsegregated — along with other waste, or flushed down the toilet, resulting in choked sewage lines. However, there is still some kind of shame associated with periods, so some of us women are embarrassed to dry it in public view.” Hazards of improper disposal Even as pads flushed in toilets block the sewage lines, the chlorine bleach — used to whiten the wood pulp in sanitary napkins for aesthetic reasons — is an environmental and health hazard, releasing toxic chemicals as a by-product of the bleaching process. Kavya Menon, an activist who is part of AWARE said, “Plastic sanitary pads pose a grave danger not only when not disposed properly, but can give rise to health issues in women as the chemical substance used as bleaching on pads can cause cancer as it comes in contact with women’s private parts, while the fragrances used can cause infertility.” Kavya suggests the use of cloth pads that can be reused without affecting one’s health.