Govt says sanitary pads will not be withdrawn
Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi says no menstrual products will be removed from store shelves following the alarming findings of a recent study.
The clarification came during a media briefing held on International Women's Day, where the minister responded to widespread concern sparked by research conducted by the University of the Free State.
The study analysed 16 sanitary pads and seven panty liners that were purchased online and found small amounts of endocrine-disrupting chemicals, commonly known as EDCs.
The findings received significant attention in the media and on social media platforms, leading to fears among many women and girls that the menstrual products they use every month could pose a health risk.
However, the minister said the presence of these chemicals does not automatically mean the products are harmful.
Health experts explained that the key factor in determining whether these chemicals are harmful is the level of exposure, and the amounts detected in the products studied were extremely low.
Motsoaledi also emphasised that these chemicals are not unique to menstrual products.
According to scientists, EDCs are widely present in everyday life and can be found in many common items such as food, cosmetics, personal care products, clothing, electronics and even household dust.
“Previous published studies have confirmed that small amounts of these endocrine disruptors are present in menstrual health products and have scientists always known about endocrine-disrupting chemicals?” the minister asked.
“That's the question, and have they also known that they are ever-present in human life? Yes… China reported that 40% of endocrine-disrupting chemicals emanated from foodstuffs, 40% from other personal care products, as I mentioned, cosmetics and all that. And 18% from indoor dust, because these chemicals also are found widely in the soil.”
Motsoaledi said the Department of Health has consulted a range of experts and regulatory authorities to evaluate the findings and assess any potential risk to the public.
These consultations included scientists, medical researchers, and international health organisations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Population Fund. Local regulatory bodies, including the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) and the National Consumer Commission.
“That findings of ECDs in sanitary pads does not automatically translate into harm in the human body and that no link of clinical harm was established by the study that brought us here, that in the absence of reliable data and small sample size studied, no harm to the general public can be said to have been proven,” he said.
The minister also pointed out that the University of the Free State’s research was intended to contribute to scientific knowledge and identify areas where further investigation may be needed, rather than to recommend consumer action or the withdrawal of products.
Motsoaledi reiterated that SAHPRA confirmed that sanitary pads are considered low-risk products and therefore do not require the same strict regulatory processes applied to medicines or high-risk medical devices.
Internationally, WHO has not identified any country where menstrual products have been removed from the market because of concerns about endocrine-disrupting chemicals.
As a result, health authorities in South Africa say there is currently no justification for withdrawing any sanitary pad or panty liner products from store shelves.
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