Carefree panty liners contain dangerous chemical, lawsuit alleges

LOS ANGELES – Carefree panty liners contain a chemical known to cause cancer and reproductive toxicity, exposing women to a dangerous and nearly indestructible chemical, a lawsuit filed this week alleges.

An independent lab test revealed the presence of perfluorooctanoic acid in the panty liners, according to the Los Angeles Superior Court complaint brought by Ecological Alliance LLC against Edgewell Personal Care Brands LLC, owner of Carefree panty liners.

The plaintiff accuses the defendant of intentionally exposing consumers to PFOA through their products without providing the necessary warnings, violating the state’s consumer law.

An Edgewell representative did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

As one of the top brands in the country, Carefree panty liners pose a significant health concern due to their prolonged contact with the vaginal area, which is highly susceptible to absorbing harmful chemicals directly into the bloodstream, the lawsuit alleges.

Plaintiff’s attorney Vineet Dubey said the Connecticut-based company should eliminate PFOA from its panty liners or add a label on its packaging warning consumers.

“PFOA is a known reproductive toxin and no amount is considered safe,” Dubey said. “This is a matter of public health. This synthetic chemical accumulates over time in the human body, leading to adverse reproductive effects such as decreased fertility and hormone interference.

Additionally, it can increase hypertension in pregnant women. Women use this product for 8 to 10 hours at a time, which results in continuous exposure to PFOA, potentially on a daily basis.”

PFOA can remain in one’s body for up to 50 years and increases the chance children will have low weights at birth and experience delays in their development, as well as increase chances of developing kidney, prostate or testicular cancer, the suit alleges.

“Nationally, there is growing awareness and scrutiny of personal care products containing PFOA and other PFAS,“Dubey said. “Carefree manufactures its products in the USA, and consumers might expect a successful, American-made product to meet, if not exceed, the most stringent health and safety standards. However, as this lawsuit demonstrates, even domestically made products can pose significant risks to consumers when harmful chemicals like PFOA are present.” (CNS)