Women’s Voices for the Earth Commemorates Fourth Annual Vaginal Health Week
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 16, 2024
MEDIA CONTACT:
Imani West, Communications Director
Women’s Voices for the Earth Commemorates Fourth Annual
Vaginal Health Week
Weeklong Programming and Actions Include:
Intimate Care Products 201 Webinar, Our Stories/Our Flow Workshops & Advocacy for Safer Intimate Care Products
Denver, CO – Next Monday, October 21, Women’s Voices for the Earth (WVE) will launch our fourth annual Vaginal Health Week (#VHW24)! Founded in 2021 by WVE, this week-long observance uplifts honest and open conversations about menstruation and vaginal health. Throughout the week, reproductive and environmental justice advocates and concerned consumers will come together to take action for safe and healthy intimate care products. Visit the WVE website for a full lineup of actions, activations, and events.
A major action this Vaginal Health Week supports WVE’s nationwide campaign calling on Prestige Consumer Healthcare, makers of Summer’s Eve, to address reproductive health concerns connected to their Ultimate Odor Protection Products and Monistat Maintain Boric Acid Wash. In a letter addressed to Prestige Consumer Healthcare’s President and CEO, Ron Lombardi, Women’s Voices for the Earth, alongside 18 reproductive and environmental justice organizations, pointed to significant health concerns, including Summer’s Eve’s use of potent reproductive toxins, deceptive marketing, and the lack of warning labels outlining the dangers of Boric Acid and guidelines for proper use.
“No responsible manufacturer intentionally adds a known reproductive toxicant to an intimate care product. Boric acid is banned from cosmetics in the European Union, and we know exposure is particularly unsafe for pregnant women. Boric acid simply has no place in intimate care products intended for daily use,” said Alex Scranton, WVE’s Director of Science and Research.
These Prestige products represent just one example of intimate care products that places consumers’ health and safety at risk. For this reason, WVE has petitioned the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to develop product safety guidance for manufacturers of cosmetic products that have vaginal exposure, to clarify how manufacturers can ensure safe products and avoid potential adverse effects on the vaginal microbiome. Click here to read the citizen petition. WVE encourages concerned consumers to submit comments in support of the petition.
Vaginal Health Week will also feature opportunities for participants to destigmatize menstruation and promote period health, including WVE’s signature “Our Stories, Our Flow” workshops.
This year’s Vaginal Health Week occurs at a time when policymakers and consumers are paying increased attention to these issues. Following media coverage of a study finding heavy metals in period products, the FDA announced plans to conduct its own product tests. Meanwhile, states are leading the way in banning toxic chemicals in menstrual products. California governor Gavin Newsom recently signed a ban of “forever chemicals” in tampons, building on similar laws passed in Colorado, Connecticut, Maine, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont.
We look forward to continuing the conversation with you this Vaginal Health Week. For further inquiries and interview requests, please contact Imani West at imaniw@womensvoices.org
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About Women’s Voices for the Earth (WVE)
For almost thirty years, Women’s Voices for the Earth (WVE) has focused on building a future free from the impacts of toxic chemicals rooted in gender justice alongside those historically and presently ignored by the environmental health movement by leveraging an intersectional solidarity approach based on our expertise in research, advocacy and organizing.
About Vaginal Health Week
Vaginal Health Week is a week of action to collectively call for change to improve practices, policies, and standards that impact vaginal health. This year, Vaginal Health Week will take place from October 21, 2024 – October 27, 2024, and will raise awareness about menstrual and intimate care equity and address the crucial need for access to safe, effective, and sustainable products. Visit the WVE website to learn more.
Days of Action:
- DAY 1, October 21: Share Your Intimate Care Story
- DAY 2, October 22: Take Action on Our Summer’s Deceive Campaign
- DAY 3, October 23: Attend our Intimate Care 201 webinar
- DAY 4, October 24: Submit Public Comment to the FDA!
- DAY 5, October 25: Host an Our Stories Our Flow Workshop!
- DAY 6, October 26: Support WVE’s work for a Healthier Future
- DAY 7, October 27: Raise Awareness for Vaginal Health!
