Witness History – Toxic shock syndrome and tampon safety

Available for over a year

In 1980, toxic shock syndrome (TSS) emerged as a public health crisis among women who used tampons.

There were hundreds of cases, and The Centers for Disease Control linked deaths from TSS to super-absorbent tampons.

The Food and Drug Administration responded by assembling a ‘Tampon Task Force’ in 1982 to develop safety standards.

A researcher called Nancy King Reame was recruited to run the independent laboratory testing. Her work helped establish the first national absorbency standards for tampons. Golda Arthur speaks to Nancy King Reame.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there.

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You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the civil rights swimming protest; the disastrous D-Day rehearsal; and the death of one of the world’s oldest languages.

(Photo: Tampons. Credit: Getty Images)

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