AUBURN – A Canadian woman is suing Tambrands, claiming she still suffers emotional problems from the shock of finding a shard of glass in one of the company’s tampons more than six years ago.

Lisa Vendrasco-Aere has filed a lawsuit against the Auburn tampon manufacturer over an incident she claims occurred in October 1997, involving one of its Super Plus Tampax tampons.

Vendrasco-Aere, 38, alleges that she discovered a piece of glass embedded in the extra absorbent tampon after she inserted it in her vagina.

According to Vendrasco-Aere’s lawyer, Patricia Weidler of Auburn, the injury did not require stitches or leave any permanent scarring.

“The trauma was emotional, not physical,” Weidler said.

Six years later, Vendrasco-Aere claims she still suffers from anxiety, nightmares and flashbacks as a result of the incident. She claims that she no longer enjoys sex, she is unable to work and she has problems managing daily household chores, such as cleaning and cooking.

“For several years following the injury, I experienced a severe reaction to anything relating to tampons, whether it be the grocery aisle containing feminine supplies, a magazine advertisement, television commercial or the sight of an actual tampon,” Vendrasco-Aere said in the suit.

Nancy Gibbons, the plant manager at Tambrands, said Friday that company officials sympathize with Vendrasco-Aere, but they do not believe her case has any merit and they are confident a judge will agree.

“Our plant has an excellent safety and product quality record,” Gibbons wrote in a e-mailed response. “Millions of women use our products and we’ve never had a case when any one was injured by a foreign body from a product made here.”

Located on Hotel Road, the Auburn plant has been making tampons since 1968. It was bought by Procter & Gamble in 1997. Vendrasco-Aere’s lawyer said the lawsuit was filed against Tambrands, because the incident happened before the sale to the larger corporation.

Weidler said Vendrasco-Aere waited six years to file the lawsuit because she initially contacted lawyers in Canada, and they recommended that she wait until she “worked through some of the trauma” before pursuing legal action.

Vendrasco-Aere is seeking damages to cover her medical expenses, psychological counseling and loss of wages.

lchmelecki@sunjournal.com