Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has added his reassurances to those of the government’s Social Protection, Community and Human Development cluster, which said this weekend that no feminine products were being recalled and that sanitary pads on South African shelves were safe to use, reports News24.
The cluster, led by Motsoaledi, held a media briefing to clarify the implications of the recently published University of the Free State study that suggested locally available products contained chemicals that might disrupt hormonal processes.
The study, conducted on 16 sanitary pads and seven panty liners, found small quantities of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) were present in the tested samples, with all products tested containing at least two types of EDCs. This included products that were marketed as being chemical-free.
Motsoaledi said that EDCs were natural or human-made products that have the potential to interfere with the actions of hormones, especially reproductive and thyroid hormones only if the quantities exceeded the permissible concentration levels.
“The permissible concentration levels of EDCs in any product are determined by the international cosmetic ingredient expert panel,” he said, adding that these EDCs were found everywhere in low concentrations, like food household products, personal care and beauty products, cosmetics, toothpaste etc.
He confirmed that scientists have known about the presence of EDCs for more than a century.
The National Consumer Commission (NCC) had launched an investigation into the sanitary products immediately after the study was published, with NCC Acting Commissioner Hardin Ratshisusu saying science informs what the NCC does.
“The scientists have spoken… the research from UFS itself suggests that the EDCs identified are quite low.
“We further engaged with the National Metrology Institute of SA, which reached the same findings – that there is no need to worry, at least from our side, about the quality of products on the market, and we will not be instituting any product recall.”
The CEO of the South African Medical Research Council, Professor Ntobeko Ntusi, said that the concerns, even on long-term exposure to EDCs, remain theoretical.
“We have regulatory bodies in this country doing surveillance constantly, precisely to protect South Africans, and through their work, so far, there has been no signal of harm from these EDCs.”
World Health Organisation’s technical officer, Dr Richard Brown, added that globally, no harm from these EDCs has been detected to date.
“The WHO makes it clear that … menstrual products are very important for the health of women and adolescents, and from a public health perspective, the benefits … from these products should not be withdrawn without a good reason to do so. There is no clear evidence of harm s to date.”
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