New York now requires companies to list ingredients on menstrual products
This article, New York now requires companies to list ingredients on menstrual products, originally appeared on CBSNews.com
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed a law Friday helping women navigate menstrual products on the same day as the United Nation's International Day of the Girl. The legislation will make New York the first state in the country to require companies to print a "plain and conspicuous" list of ingredients on all menstrual product packages or boxes.
The law goes into effect in 180 days and companies will have 18 months to create new packaging that meets the requirement.
Menstrual products may contain "toxic and allergenic chemicals" that are not federally required to be disclosed, Cuomo's office said in a statement.
Cuomo tweeted that he is "proud to sign legislation... ending an injustice and empowering women to make their own decisions about what goes into their bodies."
The law is part of a series of menstrual and advocacy legislation Cuomo has passed over the past few years.
In 2018 he required all public schools to provide free feminine hygiene products in restrooms and mandated that women in state and local correctional facilities receive free feminine hygiene products. In 2016, he eliminated the sales tax on feminine hygiene products.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to remove a quote that incorrectly referred to women needing feminine hygiene products one week a year, rather than one week a month.
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