The side effects of nonoxynol-9, which includes inflammation and lesions in the genital area, has prompted some condom retailers to remove products with the substance from the shelves.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention scrutinized nonoxynol-9 spermicide in a 1999 study. Originally, doctors thought spermicide prevented pregnancy and HIV, along with other sexually transmitted infections by killing the sperm cells.

The CDC study found that spermicide has no effect and can be harmful to both males and females.

‘The problem with actual nonoxynol-9 is that it is basically a high-powered detergent,’ said John Fidi, the vice president of condomdepot.com. ‘What happens is if it touches the rectal walls or if it touches the vagina lining in high doses, it will cause huge scarring which could lead to lesions, which creates a path (to the bloodstream).’

Condomdepot.com, a online condom retailer, has decided to remove all condoms that include nonoxynol-9 spermicide from its online shelves.

Fidi said Trojan’s line of spermicidal condoms has been the biggest removed.

‘Trojan remains to be one of the companies that actually still manufacture nonoxynol-9 products,’ Fidi said. ‘We have discontinued carrying the Trojan spermicidal line, and the Lifestyles spermicidal line. Those are the two biggest. We are not carrying anything spermicidal period.’

Fidi said that removing the Trojan brand would hurt the business because it is so well known. Others feel, though, that Trojans do not work well to begin with.

‘Trojans are crap,’ said Sunny Hernandez, a senior sociology major and president of the Students Advancing Sexual Safety and Empowerment group. ‘It is a big brand name, but I don’t know anybody who will stand by them.’

SASSE has helped raise money for groups including the R.A.P.E. Center and Planned Parenthood by putting on programming like the Vagina Monologues that deal with issues on sexual violence and safety.

Sarah Trist, a senior nutrition major and a member of SASSE suggested that during sexual intercourse, condoms should be used along with another form of contraceptive, rather than using spermicides.

‘It’s a good idea to give that box a nice look over,’ Trist said. ‘I don’t want that stuff up in me.’

Many people do not understand how spermicide can cause irritation, instead they figure that they have a latex allergy, Fidi said.

‘One of big problems that we get is we get a lot of phone calls, mostly from females, asking for non-latex condoms because they automatically assume that they have a latex allergy,’ Fidi said. ‘After we talk to them and find out exactly what kind of condoms they are using, we are finding out more than 9 out of 10 times basically they are using condoms with nonoxynol-9.’

While condomdepot.com does not endorse a particular brand of condom, Fidi said as long as there is no latex allergy, the best condoms are latex with a water-based lubricant.

Fidi hopes that by removing condoms with nonoxynol-9 spermicide, customers will start to look into why the products were removed and stop buying spermicidal condoms. This will then lead to manufacturers and other companies also removing these items.

Syracuse University’s Health Center has a basket at the main front desk that provides free Durex condoms. None of these condoms have the dangerous spermicide, said Bill Clark, a supervising pharmacist at the Health Center.

‘The basket has condoms which are either non-lubricated or water-based lubricated,’ Clark said.

SU provides condoms with spermicide upon request but not before pharmacists discuss the positives of other kinds, Clark said.

Clark said that the most important thing is that if people are going to have sexual intercourse, they should use a spermicidal condom rather than no protection at all.

Fidi agreed that protection is the number one factor, no matter what type it is.

‘We are finding that people will stop using condoms (if they are painful and) abstinence is not a realistic option,’ Fidi said. ‘It’s the only option that works. It’s the only option that’s 100 percent effective in anything, but it’s just not realistic.’

Published on March 1, 2004 at 12:00 pm