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 using tampons. There have been hundreds of cases, and the Centers for Disease Control has linked TSS deaths to super-absorbent tampons. The Food and Drug Administration responded by convening a “Tampon Task Force” in 1982 to develop safety standards. A researcher named Nancy King Reame was recruited to carry out the independent laboratory tests. His work helped establish the first national standards for tampon absorbency. Golda Arthur speaks to Nancy King Reame. Eyewitness accounts brought to life by the archives. Witness History is for those who are fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that shaped our world through the eyes of the people who participated in them. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and around the world, examining wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more. Recent episodes explore everything from the death of Adolf Hitler, the first spacewalk and the making of the movie Jaws, to the famous turtle Lonesome George, the Kobe earthquake and the invention of superglue. We examine the lives of some of history’s most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities, including: Eva Peron – Evita from Argentina; President Ronald Reagan and his famous “Tear down this wall” speech; Thomas Keneally explains why he wrote Schindler’s List; and Jacques Derrida, the French “rock star” philosopher. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the swimming civil rights protest; the disastrous rehearsal of D-Day; and the death of one of the world’s oldest languages. (Photo: Tampons. Credit: Getty Images)
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