A nanotechnologist in India invented a pad that's more absorbent than store-bought pads.
The lead scientist of this menstrual product, Chandra Shekhar Sharma, said that this project arise when he noticed store-bought pads were not as absorbent as they ought to be. According to Yahoo News, Sharma and his team used electrospinning, which led them to create pads that are thinner and safer than store-bought pads.
He further explained that the Superabsorbent Polymers (SAPs) used in pads to make it thinner contains harmful elements. Washington Post explained that these pads contain petroleum that can cause toxic-shock syndrome.
Sharma said that commercial products contain fibers as thick as human hair. He said that their pad is 200-times thinner than store-bought products. It is 150-nanometers thick. It can cover wider surface and can absorb better, he said.
He believes that nanofibers could be a good alternative to SAP. While testing the product, the team found out that their product is more absorbent and comfortable to use, can handle the load better for heavy menstrual flows' and doesn't leave behind a lot of residue.
Sharma thinks that this is good news for woman who uses pads. He said that their product can replace SAP and can use their product without having a financial strain.
He stressed how this product can help Indian women who use rags, ashes and sand for the period, instead of using disposable products.
Using these alternatives had detrimental effects on the lives of these women, 20 percent of students don't go to school when they have their period while, some women don't go to work for 2. 2 days because of the lack o affordable menstrual products in India, he said.
Not to mention, the health problems these women can have. They can develop reproductive tract infection because of this unhygienic alternative, he added.
This is not the first time an Indian man invented a device for menstrual periods. Arunachalam Muruganantham, the Menstrual Man of India, created a device to help women have cheaper pads in 1998.
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