They Said They Would Give Away Sanitary Pads for Free... But the Products Were 13 Years Past Their Expiration Date

"Can I use it?" Question met with "I don't know"
Sanitary pads are consumables with expiration dates

A story has been shared about someone who went to receive sanitary pads offered as a 'free giveaway' on a secondhand trading site, only to be handed pads that were long past their expiration date.

On the 14th, a post titled "I just received free sanitary pads, but..." was uploaded on the online community Nate Pann.

[Image source=Online Community Capture]

The author, presumed to be in their teens, named A, saw a post on a secondhand trading site offering tampons and sanitary pads with the message "Take if you need" and decided to accept the giveaway.

Upon receiving the items, A was shocked. The products were well past their expiration dates. A said, "The tampons were over a year past their expiration date, and the sanitary pads expired 13 years ago," adding, "Tampons go inside the body, so you must strictly follow the expiration date, and sanitary pads expired 13 years ago? Isn't that crazy?"

A explained, "I thought the person giving them away might not have had bad intentions, so I spoke politely and ended the conversation," and shared the dialogue with the giver.

When A asked, "Thank you so much for the giveaway, but both the tampons and sanitary pads are expired. Is it safe to use them?" the other party replied, "I’m not sure, but I think it should be okay," and added, "I didn’t know there was an expiration date. If you feel uneasy, just throw them away."

Comments followed such as, "Even if they didn’t know sanitary pads have expiration dates, the packaging is so old. Why would someone try to give that away?" and "That kind of giveaway isn’t really a giveaway."

Photo by Online Community Capture

Considering the mention of a cram school in the conversation and the fact that the post was made on a board called 'Teen Stories,' the author is presumed to be a teenager, which led to many sympathetic responses.

Many people commonly think expiration dates only apply to food or cosmetics, but sanitary pads are also consumable products with set expiration dates.

Additionally, medical experts recommend changing sanitary pads every 2 to 3 hours because even a small amount of absorbed menstrual blood can promote bacterial growth.