A woman has described her shock and outrage after she found a metal hook protruding out of a recently purchased tampon. Harmony Grant, 22, of Virginia Beach, Virginia, wasn't sure what the black dot that she found on the Playtex Simple Gentle Glide was after she opened it.
Upon further inspection, Grant realized that the dot was metal coiled in plastic. "I couldn't even tell what it was until I picked at it, and opened up a hook," Grant told WVEC. "I was utterly shocked that there was a hook sticking out of a tampon."
Grant then uploaded a photo of the tampon with the hook sticking out to Facebook to warn other women of the potential dangers.
Edgewell Personal Care, the company which makes the Playtex tampons, apologized to Grant and offered her a $7 refund after she emailed to complain about her experience. Grant described the response from the company as "completely unacceptable. I kind of felt like they brushed it off like it wasn't a big deal. I could have seriously been injured."
A spokesperson for the company issued a further statement when approached by WVEC. "Once we receive the necessary information, we will be able to fully evaluate all details of this report. In the meantime, this one isolated case does not affect other Playtex tampon products, which remain safe to use. The health and safety of the women who use our products is a top priority for Edgewell Personal Care."
Grant said she will no longer use any tampons from any brand following the experience. "Honestly, I'm just traumatized about the whole situation. That could've been potentially very harmful to me, and I just want other women to know things like this are happening."
In 2017, model Lauren Wasser warned against the dangers of using tampons after she contracted toxic shock syndrome (TSS) from using the product in 2012, resulting in her losing her right leg.
Speaking to InStyle, Wasser said she is now dedicating her life to raising awareness about the potentially fatal TSS, a disease which arises from the release of poisonous substances from an overgrowth of the Staphylococcus aureus bacteria which is linked to the use of superabsorbent tampons.
"Every time I turn on the TV it infuriates me. You'll see an ad for Advil or Viagra and hear some monotonous voice warn you about even the smaller side effects like headaches or nausea," Wasser said. "When you see a tampon commercial, it's all happy teenage girls running along the beach in bikinis. The dangers are beyond minimized."
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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