Jakarta Globe, Jul 09, 2015
Chlorine can cause side effects from skin irritation to infertility. (AFP Photo/ Nicolas Asfouri) |
Jakarta. An
Indonesian consumer group has slammed the Ministry of Health for downplaying
reports that some popular brands of sanitary pads were found to have used
chlorine in their products, prompting public fears of health risks.
“The
statement that the sanitary pad using chlorine is safe to use is contradictory
with a regulation issued by the Ministry of Health itself,” said Tulus Abadi,
the operational manager at the Indonesian Consumer Protection Foundation
(YLKI).
“The
Ministry is being inconsistent and violating a rule it created.”
On Monday,
YLKI reported nine brands of menstrual pads sold in Indonesia, including
popular brands like Charm, Laurier and Softex, were found to contain chlorine
in their products. Charm topped the list with 54,73 ppm (parts per million) in
its products.
The
announcement was made after YLKI conducted a series of tests in accredited
laboratories. The tests also found that several panty liners produced by the
same companies contained chlorine.
YLKI stated
that chlorine in the menstrual pads could cause skin rashes, irritation and
infertility and in the long-run it could cause cancer.
Responding
to the report, the ministry said that sanitary pads in the Indonesian market
were safe to use despite the chlorine.
“The fear
that chlorine could cause cancer is unreasonable, all those sanitary pads have
the license and have passed the safety and quality tests,” said Maura Linda
Sitanggang, the ministry’s director general of pharmaceutical and health equipment.
Tulus
claimed that by not specifying the maximum level of chlorine contained in
sanitary pads, the ministry has sided with the industry instead of consumers.
He said the
Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) in the United States regulated that chlorine
in sanitary pads should not exceed 0.1 ppm.
YLKI also
demanded the National Standardization Agency (BSN) revise the regulation for
sanitary pads and ban chlorine use.
YLKI has
estimated Indonesian women use 1.4 billion sanitary pads annually.
Responding
to the request, BSN said it would immediately review the regulation on the
sanitary pads.
“In our
Indonesian National Standard [SNI] we did not mention anything about chlorine
in the sanitary pads and we will revise it to protect the consumers, producers,
laborers and the public,” BSN chairman, Bambang Prasetya said.
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