#22 Pt2: How Microplastics End Up in Vaginal Tissue

In Part 2, materials engineer Shagun Maheshwari unpacks what conventional menstrual pads are actually made of — up to 90% plastic — and what that means for the body and the environment. Phthalates, microplastics, greenwashing, and why she designed Papaya to degrade in a landfill, not just a composter.

Key topics in this part:
- Why conventional pads can be up to 90% plastic; heat-bonding and textile engineering
- Adhesives as a still-unsolved sustainability problem
- Phthalates and VOCs; endocrine disruption and absorbent vulvovaginal tissue
- Why fragrance can worsen period odour rather than mask it
- Antimicrobial properties and the delicate vaginal microbiome balance
- Microplastics vs nanoplastics, and how they reach tissue
- Why plastic doesn't biodegrade; what genuine biodegradability requires
- Greenwashing: "biodegradable top sheet," bamboo/cotton pads that still contain SAP, the label test
- Industrial composter vs landfill degradation standards
- Lifetime product volume (≈5,000–15,000 products); ~800-year SAP degradation
- Where to find Papaya; what's next for the product
- The case for putting people who experience the problem on the technical design team

Timestamps:
00:00 — Hookable intro
00:42 — Biohacking Eve intro
01:07 — Recap of Part 1
01:27 — Episode summary
02:27 — Conversation resumes: plastics in pads
08:00 — Endocrine disruptors, fragrance, microbiome
16:00 — Microplastics and how they reach tissue
22:00 — Why plastic doesn't biodegrade; greenwashing and the label test
28:00 — Composter vs landfill; lifetime volume
33:00 — Where to find Papaya
34:00 — Curveball questions
40:00 — Close → outro

References mentioned in this part:
- Super absorbent polymer / sodium polyacrylate (SAP); polyacrylate, polypropylene, polyurethane
- Phthalates; volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
- Industrial composting vs landfill degradation standards (≈90% in six months)
- Strange Pictures by Uketsu — Japanese mystery novel
- Agatha Christie; P.G. Wodehouse (Jeeves and Wooster); Joseph Campbell (the hero's journey)

Guest & product links:
Website: papayapads.com
Instagram: @papaya.india and @shagun.maheshwari
LinkedIn (Shagun): https://www.linkedin.com/in/maheshwarishagun/
LinkedIn (company): https://www.linkedin.com/company/papayaindia/
Pilots in other countries: bulk orders only — contact Shagun directly

Insta/TikTok: @BiohackingEve
Website: www.BiohackingEve.com