on a product that is used internally.

The company's probably right and that mold isn't harmful, but that's not much comfort.

they claim they have done their own tests on the product, but personally, I'd like to see someone from outside of the company run their own tests. I know there are some molds that are harmless..but I still wouldn't want to accidentally insert them into my vagina.

And cellulose is the main component of tampons. What this company has is a humidity control problem somewhere in it's manufacturing system. Molds that grow on cellulose need some moisture, so these tampons with mold on them were not completely dry when packaged. Mold spores are everywhere, so some moist cellulose is going to get a mold colony for sure.

With all of that said, nobody is going to want to put that tampon inside themselves. It's a real problem for the manufacturer, and I'm very sure they're trying to figure out where the manufacturing process failed with these tampons. I'm betting that they've seen this before and are frantically trying to fix the issue.

But, if I were a woman, I'd be checking my tampons and would switch to another manufacturer.

...inserting it, just to check. If I had a vagina, though, I'd probably be a pad girl. Just sayin'. There is no way I would blindly put anything in my schwazoo after seeing that.

PB

I will be looking from now on...hopefully, it won't last much longer...in the beginning stages of menopause.

Pass it along to the women in your life though.

pads are pretty worthless for any kind of heavy flow. And I'm not sure the tampon can be removed from the applicator and then reinserted for insertion, if that makes sense. I'll try it in a few minutes.

I was taught to touch as little of the applicator as possible to avoid germs (like open from the end opposite the insertion end) so I don't think I want to spend too much time touching the tampon.

Still, the thought of a moldy tampon creeps me out!

and don't use them unless I absolutely have to for something like going swimming. Thankfully, I've never had a "heavy flow" issue like that and don't need them.

That moldy tampon is disgusting, and you can be sure if I ever have an instance when I need to use one, I will check that sucker out before it gets anywhere near me!

Back when I needed those things, I never bought the ones with a plastic applicator. I did so for environmental reasons. (They don't call 'em "beach whistles" for nothing.) However, I'm even more glad I went with cardboard. If there was a moisture/mold problem, you would likely see it in the cardboard, too. I also suspect the mold issue would be less likely, as cardboard is a little more "breathable" than plastic.

they are more narrow at the applicator end.

diva cups are simply reusable cups that are inserted into the vagina and collect menstrual blood. You empty them and reuse.

my friend said give it three months. I still had issues. Like being at work and leaving a stall to go wash my hands (tissue isn't enough!)

I could not get past the grossness factor or the leaking (which she said wouldn't happen after I got used to it!)

put a piece of moldy bread in my vagina. Chill, the corporation says don't worry about it.

That's horrifying. That's also why I don't use tampons. I don't want some moldy thing inside of me!

time to call the local newspaper and the teevee stations.....yuck

I think my kid has a box of those exact kind of tampons in her bathroom. Thanks for the heads up!

tell her to tell her girlfriends too

I love Kotex pads though. Perhaps it's the cold medicine I am on, but I didn't find their letter back to be to bad.

in spite of the extra cost.

trying to figure out how to report it.

The adverse event link shows a single report of mold in 2009 and did not apparently lead to any recall.

I am skeptical.

That would be bad, bad, bad for health on so many levels.

but in Kotex's reply, they claim that it is a harmless mold.

I am so tempted to start boycotting now.

but I'm wondering what the chances are for this to happen in other brands is. I've always used Tampax. Not so much these days, and hell, I'm just a few days shy of 38...mostly pads as things have been slowing down. But I'll be checking the Tampax if I need one.

"carries no health risk..."

I trust no corporations.