[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 14 (Tuesday, January 29, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E104]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                INTRODUCTION OF THE ROBIN DANIELSON ACT

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                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 29, 2008

  Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, Robin Danielson's two 
daughters will never forget the tragic day in Speaker, 1998 when their 
mother died at the age of 44. Nor will they forget the preventable 
illness that killed her.
  Like thousands of others, Robin Danielson was the victim of Toxic 
Shock Syndrome, TSS, a rare but potentially life-threatening illness 
that is often linked to high-absorbency tampon use. Robin's death could 
have been prevented if only she had recognized the symptoms. Yet, even 
today, many women are not fully aware of the risks of tampon use or 
TSS.
  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one to 
two of every 100,000 women between the ages of 15-44 years old will be 
diagnosed with TSS each year. Yet, the last national surveillance was 
conducted in 1987 and in only four States. Moreover, although TSS is a 
nationally notifiable disease that States report to CDC, reporting by 
the States is voluntary. Dismissed as ``sporadic,'' the CDC has not 
even released this information to the public since 2003. Clearly, we do 
not have enough transparent or timely information to evaluate the 
reality of TSS today.
  The presence of dioxin--a probable cancer-causing agent--in tampons 
is also a major concern to women's health. Tampons currently sold in 
the United States are composed of rayon, cotton, or a combination of 
both. Alarmingly, rayon is produced from bleached wood pulp, and dioxin 
is a byproduct of chlorine bleaching of pulp. Although chlorine-free 
bleaching processes are available, most wood pulp manufacturers use 
elemental chlorine-free bleaching processes. These processes use 
chlorine dioxide as a bleaching agent and thus still produce dioxin. 
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, even 100 percent 
cotton tampons and completely chlorine-free tampons have trace amounts 
of dioxin due to decades of pollution that have led to the infiltration 
of dioxin in the air, water, and ground and thus can be found in both 
cotton and wood pulp.
  The effects of dioxin are cumulative. Women may be exposed to dioxin 
in tampons and other menstrual products for as long as 60 years over 
the course of their reproductive lives. Although the FDA requires 
tampon manufacturers to monitor dioxin levels in their finished 
products, this information is not readily available to the public.
  I am proud to reintroduce the Robin Danielson Act, which would amend 
the Public Health Service Act to establish a uniform program for the 
collection and analysis of data on Toxic Shock Syndrome. The bill also 
directs the National Institutes of Health, NIH, to conduct research to 
determine the extent to which the presence of dioxin, synthetic fibers, 
and other additives in tampons and related products pose any health 
risks to women and asks the Centers for Disease Control, CDC to collect 
and report information on TSS.

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