an alternative to tampons.

While the restroom attendants' reaction may seem a little backward and wildly out-of-proportion to most of us, they were most likely "sanitizing" the restroom because they have been trained to treat all bodily fluids--sputum, vomit, urine, feces, breastmilk, semen, etc., but especially blood--with extreme caution because of the high potential for the spread of blood-borne pathogens such as the HIV virus and hepatitis. Granted, your friend was most likely not infected with anything, and had done a conscientiously thorough job of rinsing the blood down the drain, cleaning the sink with the antibacterial soap provided, and mopping up any splashes that might have occured, but sanitation personnel (as well as health care workers and others who work in a capacity that regularly exposes them to bodily fluid) are trained to treat ALL bodily fluids as potentially infectious because there is no way to know for sure whether an individual is infected, or not.

That explanation aside, as a trained healthcare worker (I did massage therapy in the San Francisco Bay Area, where the threat of AIDS was very real, and worked in gynecology, dealing regularly with vaginal fluids like menstrual blood) and an elementary school employee, I believe that the restroom attendants may have gone overboard in shutting down the place and "sanitizing" the whole room. True, if alerted to the situation, I would have investigated, probably sprayed the offending sink down and donned gloves to wipe it thoroughly, and (if there had been any evidence of further "contamination") mopped the immediate area, but I doubt it was necessary to go beyond that. I imagine your friend felt a little stigmatized and embarassed by their overblown reaction to her innocent act. Between our early conditioning to fear germs and our very real need to exercise Universal Precautions (gloving, using a hypochloric (1:10 solution of bleach and water) spray to clean surfaces with, etc.) we are a culture that has become outlandishly squeamish and paranoid about things which are generally very natural bodily functions. I have met many people who refuse to clean up their own vomit, been in a relationship with a man who recoiled at the thought of touching his own semen, and been berated by a stranger for breastfeeding my infant daughter (in a private alcove with a blanket covering us), who told me it was "disgusting" and that I belonged in the bathroom. We go to exaggerated lengths to avoid touching our own excretions, and there are many industries which capitalize on this fact by inventing even more ways. It is truly ironic that, as our attention to staying clean and to killing germs through substances like antibiotics and vaccines and the widely-available antibacterial soaps designed for every conceivable need--dishwashing, housecleaning, handwashing, etc.--we find that our children are growing up much more vulnerable to microbial infection than ever before.

I was told by my acupuncturist that I should not wear tampons, for a reason that has nothing to do with the fact that they are bleached, or whatever. I had always worn tampons from the time I first started my period and had never even worn a pad before. I had never even experienced what it was like to feel the blood flow. The acupuncturist explained to me that the chi is blocked when you wear a tampon and that pads are much better for the energy flow. It is important not to stop this flow, back it up in anway or it can cause cramping and other symptoms women often feel with their period. I never get cramps since I switched to pads and I enjoy the experience and acceptance of my body as it goes through the menstrual cycle. I have powerful moments of insight, and a surge of consciousness often accompanies these cycles. I consider it a sacred time for myself.