On Dec. 12, Kotex voluntarily recalled some of its tampon products for unraveling or breaking apart inside consumers bodies. Kimberly-Clark, Kotexs parent company, said in a press release it received a small number of reports of infections, vaginal irritation, localized vaginal injury, and other symptoms and that in some cases consumers had to seek medical attention to remove tampon pieces left in the body.

Currently, there is no federal or state law requiring Kotex, or any other menstrual hygiene company, to share the ingredients including the chemicals that make up its products. This is a problem, says Linda Rosenthal , a Democratic member of the New York state Assembly. When tampons are falling apart inside peoples bodies, she told HuffPost, doctors should be able to know how to treat these patients. But theyll struggle to do it if they dont know whats causing the problem, she said.

And who knows what the long-term effects are? Rosenthal asked in disbelief. Its case in point for why we need ingredient labeling on products people put inside their body.

Rosenthal is sponsoring legislation in New York to require ingredient labeling on the packaging of all menstrual products sold in the state. The Assembly is expected to consider the bill in 2019; if it passes, it will be the first law of its kind in the United States.

Manufacturers might list some, but not all, ingredients on feminine hygiene packaging or on their products websites.

In a letter to Kimberly-Clark, the Assembly member asked the company to publicly disclose the chemicals present in these products so that menstruators can work with their health care providers to properly manage risks associated with exposure. She has yet to receive a response.