Condom Club
WHAT IS THE CONDOM CLUB?
It is NOT a recognized Student Organization, however there are over 1,000 members at St. Cloud State University. All a person has to do is attend one of the various Sexual Health Education Seminars on campus or go to the Student Health Services- Health Promotions Office located in Hill Hall and watch the new and improved 6 minute "Condom Club Video". It is just that EASY. As a member you will receive a FREE Condom Club Member Card. This card will allow you to receive occasional promotional items every month as well as receiving our "Condom of the Month". Condom Club Members will also receive discounted Condom Purchases (12/$2).
Condom of the Month (Bring in your Condom Club Card and you will receive a FREE 3-pack)
September: Lifestyles Extra Sensitive
October: Durex Extra Sensitive
November: Trojan ENZ
December: ONE condoms
January: Lifestyles Assorted Colors
February: Durex LOVE
March: Trojan MAGNUMSApril: Variety Pack
May: Durex Intense Sensation
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE A "Condom Club" T-Shirts please stop over at the Student Health Services- Health Promotions Department. The cost is only $10.
TOPIC of MONTH: History of Condoms www.globalprotection.com/myrtle
1350 BC: Egyptian men wear devices made of papyrus and colored animal membranes as phallic decorations.
1500's: Condoms are made from fish membranes and lamb intestines and begin to be used as contraceptives.
1600's: The use of the name "condom" becomes popularized; named after a 17th Century English physician and courtesan credited with the invention.
1725-98: According to Casanova's memoirs, he was one of the first to popularize the use of condoms as birth control. He was also aware of their use against sexually transmitted diseases.
1843-44: Condom use grows with the invention of vulcanized rubber, making them less expensive.
1861: The New York Times publishes the first known ad for condoms in a U.S. newspaper. The brand? "Dr. Powers' French Preservatives."
1930: Almost all condoms are made from latex because it is less expensive than animal membranes.
1986: The Surgeon General of the United States endorses the use of condoms as the only currently available effective barrier against AIDS.
1994: According to the New York Times, a condom is the hottest selling souvenir at Woodstock 1994. Global Protection created that condom exclusively for Woodstock.
1994: Polyurethane emerges as an alternative to latex, leading to the development of the female condom and the Avanti condom for latex-sensitive people.
2000: Global Protection Night Light becomes the first FDA approved glow-in-the-dark condom intended for the prevention of pregnancy and disease.
2002: The World Health Organization (WHO) concludes that Nonoxynol-9 spermicidal lubricant does not protect against HIV infection and may even increase the risk of HIV infection when used frequently. Since Nonoxynol-9 may cause adverse effects, the WHO recommends that condoms no longer be lubricated with this spermicide.
How are Condoms Tested?
Finally, a subject close to my heart. If you spend any time looking at condom packages, you'll come across a lot of phrases like "triple tested", "individually electronically tested", "maximum reliability", and on and on. What does this all mean, and what is actually required of condom manufacturers? Curious? Good. Here is a quick introduction to how condoms are really tested.
Different manufacturers have different testing equipment. For this reason, the exact methods of performing the tests will vary somewhat from plant to plant. The standards, however, are the same for every company selling condoms in the U.S., including overseas manufacturers. First, every condom is tested for pinholes using an electronic test. In this test, the condom is pulled over a metal form called a mandrel. The condom is then placed into the presence of an intense electrical field, which is created in the air or in water depending on the equipment used by the manufacturer. Because rubber does not conduct electricity, no electricity should reach the metal mandrel under the condom. If the electricity reaches the metal mandrel through a pinhole, it indicates the presence of a pinhole. Any condom failing this test is discarded (machines discard the failures automatically). This is the only test performed on every single condom; this is what manufacturers mean when they refer to "individual" or "electronic" testing.
Other tests are performed by taking a random sampling of a large manufacturing lot and testing only those condoms in the samples. Using statistical analysis, it is possible to reach accurate conclusions about the large lot by testing a small fraction of the condoms as long as the samples are chosen at random. This sampling occurs at various points along the manufacturing process in order to catch faulty lots as soon as possible. In this way, a particular lot may be tested several times. This is where the "triple" or multiple testing claims on condom packages arise. The samples from the lot are tested for dimensions, tensile properties, air burst properties, leakage, and package integrity.
Dimensions test: The length, width and thickness of the condoms are precisely measured. If more than 4 out of 100 tested are out of the acceptable range, the entire large manufacturing lot the samples were taken from is discarded.
Tensile properties test: Condoms are laid flat, then a section is cut out of the center leaving a latex ring. This ring is placed on a testing device that stretches the ring until it breaks. The equipment then measures the condom's strength, the force required to break the condom and the amount of stretch or elongation at breakage. This information is recorded and used by manufacturers for their internal quality control.
Air burst properties test: Condoms are filled with air until they pop. The air pressure and amount of air inside the condom are measured at the time the condom breaks. If these numbers are too low in more than 1.5 out of 100 condoms, the entire lot is discarded.
Leakage test: Condoms are filled with water while hanging vertically. They are then inspected for any evidence of water leakage. They are also held horizontally, and the entire surface is inspected again. Any condoms that show evidence of leaks, including, and I quote the official regulations, "seepage, microdroplets, squirters, etc.", are considered failures (don't you just love engineers?). If more than 2.5 out of 1000 condoms fail this test, the lot is discarded.
Package integrity test: The individual condom wrappers are subjected to a vacuum and checked for leaks in the wrapper seal. If more than 2.5 out of 100 condoms fail this test, the lot is discarded.Condom lots that pass all these tests are now both ready to be boxed and justifiably proud of themselves.
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