Polyester Microfibres for Production of a Comfortable and Affordable Sanitary Pad
Abstract
The widespread ignorance on how menstrual hygiene negatively impacts on the well-being of girls and women, and contributes to their marginalisation in some societies is a cause for concern in many poor countries. These poor countries are characterized by poor sanitary facilities, among other issues. These, together with lack of sanitary supplies can impact negatively on girls especially when at school, affecting their performance. Sanitary pads prove expensive for the poor. An average pack of 8-10 pads costs $US1.50 and a woman needs two to three packets in one menstrual cycle. This has caused women to resort to unhealthy ways of menstrual management. For instance they use crude materials such as grass and cow dung, which could bruise them and expose them to infections. The aim of the study was to use polyester microfibres for development of a re-usable sanitary pad because polyester has desired properties such as high absorbency, comfort when worn, pose no health risk and are affordable. A polyester pad was produced and synthetic blood used to test for its absorbency and wicking ability, comparing it to the commercial disposable pads. The new pad exhibited improved properties and was ten times less in cost than the cheapest commercial pad hence suitable for the poor communities.References
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