Students at the University of Utah are onto something
A woman is estimated to spend close to $2,500 on sanitary products during her lifetime, while the total count for sanitary products used during that time may vary person by person, it’s easy to assume that it’s not helping our environment.
A team of students at the University of Utah saw the same problem and decided to address it by creating a 100% biodegradable sanitary pad alternative. While the pad isn’t the first of its kind, it is the most comfortable and there’s algae to thank for that.
“This is novel in comparison to other biodegradable options out there for pads,” said Amber Barron, a University of Utah junior who is on the team of four students, to Science Daily. “Most are really bulky because they don’t have a superabsorbent layer.”
The SHERO Pad, as the creation is being named, consists of a layer of algae that is covered by a layer of cotton and the same material that makes tea bags, explains Science Daily.
With this biodegradable option pads will be able to disintegrate between 45 days to 6 months after use.
The Utah-based research team’s main goal was to develop a menstrual product alternative that could be used in developing countries and could make these products more accessible to the communities that need them. The team plans to start with distribution in Guatemala.
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