If asbestos were to contaminate any tampon product as a result of tampering, it would be a crime. Anyone having knowledge of tampon tampering is urged to notify FDA or a law enforcement officer. Thus far, we have received no reports of tampering. There are also allegations that some tampons contain the chemical dioxin. Tampons sold in the U.S. are made of cotton, rayon, or blends of rayon and cotton.
Rayon is made from cellulose fibers derived from wood pulp.
The process was used by raw material suppliers of rayon for tampons in the past. Multiple post-process scrubbing and rinsing removes all but trace amounts of dioxin. This process is no longer used by any U.S. manufacturer of tampons. Elemental chlorine-free bleaching refers to methods that do not use chlorine gas to purify the wood pulp. Not using chlorine gas eliminates the possibility of producing dioxin as a contaminant.