Sanitary Products Contaminated With Harmful Chemicals

Statement by Angel Khanyile MP – DA Spokesperson for Women, Youth & People with:

The Democratic Alliance (DA) notes with alarm the findings of a recent study by the University of the Free State, that harmful chemicals called Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals (EDC’s) are present in well-known and widely used sanitary pad brands used by millions of South African women and girls each month.

These findings represent not only a consumer protection issue, but a serious public health concern that demands urgent attention.

The DA therefore calls for:

• An urgent investigation by the National Consumer Commission into product safety compliance;
• Immediate testing and public reporting by the South African Bureau of Standards on chemical content in sanitary products sold locally;
• Oversight engagement by the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority to determine potential health risks;
• Full disclosure from manufacturers regarding the chemical composition of their products, and;
• Stronger regulatory frameworks to ensure mandatory ingredient transparency and safety standards for menstrual hygiene products.

Menstrual hygiene products are not luxury goods but essential items. They are used monthly by young girls in schools, working women, and vulnerable communities who rely on both retail purchases and government-supported sanitary dignity programmes.

The dignity, health and safety of women and girls must never be compromised for profit.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), EDC’s can interfere with the hormonal system, potentially causing reproductive problems, developmental disorders, fertility impairment, increased risk of certain cancers as well as metabolic disorders. We cannot responsibly distribute sanitary dignity packs to vulnerable learners while uncertainty exists about the safety of the very products meant to protect them.

This matter requires urgency, transparency and accountability to ensure that South African women and girls are provided with the protection they expect and deserve.