Tampons and the like...

I can't find a forum strictly on menstruation so figured this might be the best place to ask this question:

What's so unsafe about using regular tampons? I use playtex and have for years. I know there's the risk of TSS, but wasn't the risk much higher when tampons were made out of pure cotton? So why do I see pure cotton tampons in the health food stores? Whats so bad about them?

I definitely want to be healthier in every thing I do, but really don't want to go back to using pads. I hate that feeling of "oh shit, did it catch that?" and having all my stuff stuck to me and...yuck!

Any input?