This can be true, but you have to use the
NON-'Colored' or 'Printed',
NON-'Super Absorbent',
NON-'Scented',
and,
NON-'Cleansing' versions.
Coloring, any coloring, inks or dies are toxic when introduced to the blood stream unless otherwise proven differently.
'Super Absorbent' pads, like 'Mini-Pads' have a chemical in them that does just what the advertisement says,
Just like a disposable baby diaper, it attracts moisture and locks it into a Gel form.
I don't want that chemical in my blood stream causing clots in odd places, like my heart or lungs.
'Scented' means chemicals in your blood stream that very well could cause reactions like 'Toxic Shock Syndrome' and other problems.
'Cleansing' means lotions, deodorizers, and other things that again, you don't want introduced to your blood stream, especially since you are headed for blood loss shock anyway... Just what you need, a toxic reaction on top of every thing else!
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What will work,
Our military field dressings were made by 'Playtex' & Johnson & Johnson the same people that used to make 'Kotex' brand 'Sanitary Napkins' and the bandage people.
Our emergency 'Puncture' (bullet/bayonet wound) dressings looked all for the world like a tampon and would swell when dipped in water.
Worked well for closing up a bullet wound, I can vouch for that first hand.
If I were going to store 'Kotex' as field dressings, I would shop around for the full size pads with the cloth straps on each end
(won't be as long as field dressing straps, and won't be green or brown)
And I would try and track down 'Institutional' versions.
'Institutions' don't spend money on luxuries like scented and color prints.
Everything is about keeping the costs down... So you would probably get a good deal on them.
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What I would store...
'Economy' Paper towels, plain white, no printing or scents.
Not the kind you can ring out, just the plain old white paper towels on rolls...
To make the paper white, it's bleached and heated like crazy, so the inner sheets are sterile.
(nothing lives through that bath of chemicals, heat and live steam!)
Other than leaving behind some fibers when you pull it off, it works great,
It's cheap,
And it has more than one use so you are likely to rotate the rolls and not let some set around as 'Emergency Supplies' and get damp/contaminated.
The inside sheets of a larger city newspapers are virtually sterile also, and for the same reason.
The news print is bleached white, or mostly white, and it's heated to make it lay flat on the roll when it's made, and again when it goes through the printing machine.
Most news papers are printed, folded, cut and bundled by machines,
And are never touched by human hands until the kid throws them at your house.
Get one out of the middle of a stack in a paper box and there is an excellent chance it's never been touched by human hands or touched anything dirty.
Most news print ink is Soy based ink and non-toxic, and the inner pages of the news print
(not glossy advertisement inserts)
will work fine to seal up a wound if you are on the move for some reason.
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DO NOT use the cheap hand towels or cheap material from places like Wally-World or 99¢ stores!
They are sprayed with formaldehyde to keep them from growing fungus when in shipping and storage, they are sprayed with pesticides and herbicides for the same reason, to keep bugs and rodents out of them and to keep the mold and mildew from forming when they get damp in shipping & storage.
In fact, you shouldn't use any cloths you buy these days until they have been washed a couple of times!
Even some of the inks can be toxic from foreign countries.