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Based on Rely Tampon logo, late 1970s |
TSOA 25 Toxic Shock Outbreak Anniversary ~ 25th it’s been 25 years - what have we
learned? |
October
1979: The national roll-out of Proctor & Gamble’s superabsorbant Rely
tampon begins, and with it, the first of thousands of menstruating women
develop toxic shock syndrome. Ultimately, more than 38 women will die as a
result of the “superabsorbancy raceS” sparked
by the introduction of Rely. MOLT dates the toxic shock outbreak’s 25th
anniversary (or, simply, TSOA25) to May 1980, when “investigators reported to
the CDC 55 cases of toxic-shock syndrome, a newly-recognized illness...”
S Tom Reilly,
“The Price of a Life: One Woman’s Death from Toxic Shock”
Thus far,
a commemorative void surrounds TSOA25. Filling this void can help reduce the
risk of toxic shock complacency, especially among younger women. A 2002 CDC
information sheet reports “90% of cases occur in women between 15 and 19 years
old.” Indeed, Kourtney Matthews of California was only 16 when she died of
toxic shock in 2004. But tampon users are at risk at any age: My Linh Nguyen of
San Jose was 24 when she died of toxic shock in 2003, and Leslie Hudson of
Boulder, Colorado, was much older than that when she survived her bout with the
illness.
Microbiologist
Philip M. Tierno, Jr., PhD, says it is the increased
absorbency of tampons since 1999, as well as labeling for overnight use, which
accounts for the recent upward trend in toxic shock cases.
To the
left is the proposed “broken tampon” memorial to victims of toxic shock. This
fountain incorporates the familiar shapes of
tampon and string, pad and wings; the latter are inscribed with the
“darling daughters” of menstrual product advertising: protection and
confidence. Planned location of this memorial? Detroit, Michigan, in the
courtyard of MOLT: The Museum of the Menovulatory Lifetime.
Detroit
has battled its own state of “toxic shock”
for decades: Tammy Brooks, in a recent Detroit News interview, says: “As
Detroiters, we’re so caught up by the city’s blight and poverty that it’s
sometimes hard not to let it get you down. But for me, it helps to do a little
something to show I care.” For her, this means all-out holiday decorating; for
others, a “bigger something” – the
Benjamin E. Mays Male Academy; Alternatives for Girls; the Detroit Hispanic
Development Corp.; New Hope Community CDC –
to name a few.
MOLT
believes the tampon industry, and most especially Proctor & Gamble, should provide the “no-strings-attached” funding for the
memorial and museum, in an act of corporate atonement for the marketplace
violenceS they perpetuated on
unsuspecting female consumers 25 years ago, and to some degree, still
perpetuate. What do you think? Let us know at www.moltx.org/brokentampon.html.
S Not to be confused with domestic violence - sorry,
P&G-funded V-Day.
To
the right is the “Radiation Martyrs” memorial in Hamburg, Germany, dedicated to
the early researchers who’d died of radiation exposure. The “cause” these
“martyrs” died for? The advancement of medicine. Not only have the “tampon martyrs” made a contribution to the
areas of emergent disease, patient privacy law, and medical device regulation;
but their experiences have served as a historical lens with which to view FDA
decision-making and industry-
funded
research; as flashpoint for feminism in general and the grrlzine/riotgrrl
movement in particular; as impetus for reinventing the menstrual product
advertisement; as well as starting point for
the yearly Menstrual Monday holiday, which began, innocently enough,
with a woman lying under a tree one summer, writing a letter to a friend about
her own experience with toxic shock.
MOLT
invites submissions of 5,000 words or less to the anthology, “TSOA25: It’s Been
25 Years – What Have We Learned?” And come to the Society for Menstrual Cycle
Research Conference this June 2, 3 and 4 in Boulder, Colorado. Just bring the
enclosed SMCRely Pass with you, mailed out by the millions (in spirit, if not
in deed) 25 years ago, with each free sample of Rely, “for the lady of the
house.”
contact: tsoa25@moltx.org
INFO: http://www.moltx.org/smcrely.html
MOLT: The Museum of the Menovulatory
Lifetime
“sometimes a little lighter, sometimes
a little heavier”