SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — On the International Day of the Girl, New York will become the first state in the nation to require menstrual product companies to make ingredient labels on all of their packaging. Governor Andrew Cuomo recently signed the legislation that affects makers of tampons, pads, and menstrual cups.
Tampons and pads are widely used by women every month for about a week. The average tampon user utilizes about 10,000 tampons in their lifetime. These products may contain harsh chemicals that can cause extreme harm to the hormonal system.
With this legislation in place, young women and girls will make wiser decisions when it comes to purchasing feminine products.
Emily Lewis is a college student at Syracuse University, and even though she’s been using menstrual products as teen, she was never aware of the nonexistent ingredients list.
“It was never something I was super concerned about, but now that this law is enacted I think that it’s a very valid thing,” she said.
Other consumers like Julia Urban have always been skeptical about the ingredients in her products.
“I mean I would like to believe it’s 100% cotton but it’s just definitely not,” Urban said. “I don’t know what it is. I know like the scented stuff has more chemicals in it, but I don’t use those for that reason.”
According to Forbes.com, in a statement, Gov. Cuomo said,”It’s part of our pervasive culture of inequality in our society that has gone on for too long, and that injustice ends today… we are proud to lead the nation by advancing these critically important new protections.”
The Menstrual Products Right To Know Act will take effect next year. Product manufacturers will have 18 months to create new packaging and ingredients labels.
