At a time when presidential candidates are on tape saying hideous things about grabbing women by their genitals, it’s easy to look at the male of the species and think, “Yech.” I say this from experience. I spent the whole weekend trying not to throw up in my mouth every time I read comments defending the wannabe Groper-In-Chief.
That’s why I’m so damn happy to have come across a news story about a man in India who has invented a new nano-substance that will potentially make menstruating less of an ordeal for women in his country.
See, menstrual products are in short supply for many women living in India. They end up using rags or other improvised materials to absorb menstrual flow. Given cultural taboos about menstruation and the likelihood of ersatz tampons and pads failing, many young women stop going to school during their periods — or just stop attending school altogether once they reach adolescence.
Which brings us to scientist Chandra Shekhar Sharma, a nanotechnologist with an interest in the absorptive properties of menstrual supplies. Sharma wanted to see if it was possible to use nano-materials to make a cheaper, more effective pad. He saw that current menstrual pad technology relies on superabsorbent polymers (SAPs), which is the scientific name for the gel inside pads that absorbs liquids. SAPs work pretty well, but they’re brutally unfriendly to the environment since they’re petroleum based. They’re also linked to toxic shock syndrome.
Sharma and his team wanted to get away from SAPs, so they worked some nano-magic (described in more detail in the Washington Post) and developed three entirely new fibers, one of which was SAP-free. The result was fibers that were far more absorbent that traditional materials, most notably in the one with no SAPs.
The next step for Sharma’s team will be to create a commercial product using the fibers in menstrual supplies. He hopes this will make a difference for the women of India — and beyond.
And that, my friends, is respectful and helpful treatment of women. May we all learn from Dr. Sharma.
