Audit to focus on toxic sanitary pads dispute

An ongoing controversy over alleged toxicity of sanitary pads is expected to become a major dispute during an audit of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety slated for Tuesday.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare will summon key figures embroiled in this scandal as witnesses, according to the National Assembly, Saturday.

This includes Prof. Kim Man-goo of Kangwon National University and Leean So-young, director general of the Korean Women’s Environmental Network (KWEN). They raised suspicions over the possible health consequences of domestically produced sanitary pads as well as executives at Korea’s leading manufacturers Yuhan-Kimberly and Kleannara.

The issue has surfaced after Kim announced his study on toxicity levels of 11 types of pads of domestic manufacturers, which he conducted upon request from KWEN.

Kim questioned the safety of domestic sanitary pads as he found volatile organic compounds (VOCs) included in all 11 of the products he examined. They included styrene, characterized as “carcinogenic to humans” by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Fears mounted as consumers began claiming online to have suffered side effects such as reduced menstrual bleeding and changes in their menstruation cycle.

After it was revealed that Klean- nara’s Lilian pads were among the products he tested, it quickly became the target of massive public outcry. Although Kleannara first denied the accusations, it later made refunds.

At the same time it filed a lawsuit against Kim for criminal defamation and business obstruction.

Another controversy erupted over the validity of Kim’s research. Doubts over possible conflicts of interest were raised because an executive at Lilian’s rival brand Yuhan-Kimberly was a member on KWEN’s board. Rumors further spread that Prof. Kim was also sponsored by Yuhan-Kimberly.

Prof. Kim and KWEN were also criticized for evoking fears over the products with unsubstantiated research. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety questioned the validity of the study, and concluded all the pads were safe after a preliminary study on 666 sanitary products sold in Korea.

KWEN and Kim disputed its claims arguing the ministry’s research was “premature” and “untrustworthy” as it included results for only a small number of compounds. The Ministry of Health and Welfare plans to settle all this in the upcoming audit.

Other topics of this month’s audit of the ministry will likely focus on McDonald’s undercooked hamburger patties that allegedly caused health problems and insecticide-tainted eggs that were found at a few egg farms here, leading to qualms over government safety guidelines.