A Chinese feminine hygiene brand has issued an apology after a woman posted a viral video of her finding a large needle in a menstrual pad.

The customer, name not disclosed, said she found the needle in a sanitary pad while unwrapping it at her home in eastern China’s Jiangxi Province.

The video was posted on the social network Weibo on Saturday and was reportedly viewed over 500 million times within just two days.

The feminine hygiene brand Space 7 issued an apology on Weibo on Sunday, and announced that they will set up a team to investigate the incident.

A company spokesperson later confirmed that they will disclose the results of the investigation when it has been concluded.

The disgruntled customer told local media “if the needle was already there during the production process, it carries a great health risk” and called on the company to investigate the matter.

According to local media, an increasing number of companies have started introducing feminine hygiene products into the Chinese market in recent years, but the price of most brands remain out of reach for many low-income families, causing what is dubbed ‘period poverty’.

Last year, hundreds of thousands of women successfully campaigned to have taxes scrapped on feminine hygiene goods to make them more affordable and accessible.

In 2017, the American brand Kotex said they compensated a customer in China after she found a live worm inside a sanitary pad.