Health worries over harmful chemicals in period products

Maegan Lee Op-ed Editor

Thinx, a popular brand that sells reusable period products, settled an up to $5 million class action lawsuit over claims of false advertising on Jan. 19 in the U.S., but the case has no bearing in Canada.

This class action lawsuit alleged Thinx used false advertising in their products, that their products were a safer and more sustainable approach for people who menstruate. But the products allegedly contain potentially harmful chemicals linked to harmful effects in humans.

“The litigation against Thinx has been resolved, the settlement is not an admission of guilt or wrongdoing by Thinx,” the company tweeted on Jan. 19. “We deny all allegations made in the lawsuit.”

A Final Approval Hearing will be held on May 24, 2023, to determine the fairness of the proposed settlement.

However it was found that some of their products may contain potentially toxic PFAS chemicals.

Per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) is a large, complex group of chemicals that have the characteristic of being extremely persistent or durable.

The company denies it acted improperly and that PFAS were not part of its manufacturing process.

Miriam L. Diamond, a professor in the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Toronto, said there are a minimum of 4,700 compounds and the ones that have been well-studied shows that they could be toxic.

PFAS are commonly used because they provide water, grease, and stain repellency, Diamond said.

She said the water and stain repellency could explain why traces of PFAS are found in reusable period underwear.

Jessian Choy, a freelance writer for Sierra Club Magazine, first brought attention to traces of PFAS in reusable period underwear in January 2020.

Choy said she sent in her Thinx reusable period underwear to Professor Graham Peaslee at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, while working on an article about sustainable period products.

“I really wanted to write about these really comfortable things that you can wear,” Choy said. “But before I felt comfortable, like