Photo by Síle Moloney
NYS Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie (A.D. 83) and Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal (A.D. 67) announced on Thursday, March 27, the passage of a new law (A.1502, Rosenthal) earlier this week that makes menstrual products safer by restricting the inclusion of certain chemicals like lead, mercury and per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), among others, in their production.
Photo by Síle Moloney
“Women should not be facing problems with their health simply through the use of menstrual products,” said Heastie. “This bill holds producers accountable and ensures that the Assembly Majority is doing everything in our power to protect New Yorkers and our environment.”
Photo by Síle Moloney
For her part, Rosenthal said, “Since the sale of the first menstrual pad 186 years ago, women have been kept in the dark about the ingredients found in their most trusted period products.”
She added, “My 2019 menstrual ingredient labeling law and recent studies have shined a bright law on the toxins, metals and microplastics contained in pads and tampons, and my newest bill, when signed into law, will ban those dangerous substances.”
Photo by Síle Moloney
Rosental continued, “New York has made clear that women are not science experiments and their health should not come at the cost of improving a company’s bottom line. I would like to thank Speaker Heastie for helping to get this bill over the finish line, as well as my colleagues for unanimously voting in favor of this important measure.”
Photo by Síle Moloney
This legislation would restrict the inclusion of these chemicals within menstrual products and by January 1, 2029, require the NYS Department of Health and the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation to set a minimum safe level for these chemicals which will give manufacturers guideposts to follow when dealing with substances that may not be feasible to totally eliminate from the product.
Photo by Síle Moloney
When Norwood News photographed some menstrual products in a Bronx store on Thursday, March 27, we found that most listed the product ingredients.
Photo by Síle Moloney
Some also included a bar code which consumers could use to find more information about the product. Some examples can be found here and here.
Photo by Síle Moloney
Heastie broadly represents some or all of the Bronx neighborhoods of Olinville, Edenwald, Wakefield, Williamsbridge, Baychester and Eastchester.
Photo by Síle Moloney
Rosenthal broadly represents the Upper West Side of Manhattan.
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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to [email protected] or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.