According to the U.S Department of Health and Human Services, the average woman menstruates from ages 13 to 51 for three to seven days. This means a woman endures around 500 periods in her lifetime, going through thousands of menstrual products. For being such a prominent product in a women’s life and a necessity for women’s health, companies have not been required to label ingredients on their menstrual products. Until, on October 11, 2019, also commonly known as International Day of the Girl, Governor Andrew Cuomo signed a New York legislation that will make New York the first state in the country to require companies to list ingredients on all menstrual product packages. The legislation will take in effect 180 days after it was signed on October 11 and manufacturers will have up to 18 months to develop the according packaging and labeling to meet requirements.
(Source: Twitter)
The reason companies have not been required to list ingredients on their menstrual products is because they are generally classified as medical devices by the FDA.
Governor Cuomo stated, “Practically every product on the market today is required to list its ingredients, yet these items have inexplicably evaded this basic consumer protection. It’s part of the pervasive culture of inequality in our society that has gone on for too long, and that injustice ends today as we become the first state in the nation to mandate ingredient disclosure and empower women to make their own decisions about what goes into their bodies.”
However, this monumental moment would not have been possible without New York Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal. Last year, Rosenthal introduced the original bill that called for the disclosure of menstrual product ingredients as well as disclosure of chemicals produced through the manufacturing process in products such as tampons, sanitary napkins, menstrual cups, and period underwear.
(Source: Twitter)
Though it is a small step into the right direction to protect women’s menstrual health, it is a step, nonetheless. Now it is time to pressure other states in the country and in the world to take the same action because we, as women, deserve the right to know.