Debbie Robins has written an insightful piece on the possible dangers lurking in feminine hygiene products for the Huffington Post.  She not only addresses the pesticide residue in tampons and the dioxin used to bleach them, but gives some astounding facts about the amount of chemicals we could prevent from entering the environment with even a small change in consumption behavior.

If we are so careful about what we eat, shouldn't we be holding everything we put in our bodies to the highest of standards?

While you check out letstalkperiod for more information, I am going to clean out the medicine cabinet.

We are a  blog dedicated to informing you about environmental health issues and, as such, we would be negligent not to mention the BP oil spill.

An examination of petroleum products is alarming enough, with links to breast cancer, etc. before this environmental tragedy. What this oil will do once it enters the food chain and remains there for decades and decades is unfathomable. Equally scary is how helpless we are in finding resolution and stopping the devastation from continuing.

As news rolls in about the affects on reproductive and womens' health, we promise to keep you posted. In the meantime, we leave you with some gallows humor:

...and here is an awesome video by UVM students about why this needs to happen: (if this doesn't display properly, just click here to view directly at youtube.)

Tell your lawmakers you don't want BPA in your life and click here to fill out a simple form that goes directly to your representative.

Submitted by our intern Julia...

Red and green don’t have to clash. In fact, they can be the recipe for an environmentally responsible period!

With many feminine products utilizing dioxins, bleach, and creating post-consumer waste (wrappers & applicators), perhaps it is time to try something new?  The Diva Cup, a concept the website claims is 75 years old, is a reusable silicon cup that comes in 2 sizes.  Model 1 is for women under 30 who have never given birth, and Model 2 for women over 30, or those who have given birth. It is inserted vaginally and covers the cervix.

After an initial investment of about $30-$40, it may be last time you spend money on "feminine hygiene products".  It can be purchased at www.drugstore.com or www.lunapads.com, and in many health food stores.

I'm a devoted user of the cup, but was initially hesitant. Inserting a cup into my vagina that simply collects the blood? Not feasible...until I tried. After a simple insertion, I only had to empty the cup once  a day, and often forgot I had it! When emptying the cup at home, you can wash it in the sink, which begs the question of public restrooms. This problem is solved by emptying the cup in the toilet.

Why stop with reusable grocery bags? The Diva Cup is an affordable change that makes a big difference for the environment and your wellbeing.