Toxic arsenic and lead commonly found in tampons: landmark study

Take this in — a new study of 30 tampons from 14 brands finds they contain toxic metals like lead and arsenic.

“Despite this large potential for public health concern, very little research has been done to measure chemicals in tampons,” said lead study author Jenni A. Shearston , a postdoctoral scholar at the University of California Berkeley. “To our knowledge, this is the first paper to measure metals in tampons. Concerningly, we found concentrations of all metals we tested for, including toxic metals like arsenic and lead.”

Shearston’s team evaluated levels of 16 metals — arsenic, barium, calcium, cadmium, cobalt, chromium, copper, iron, manganese, mercury, nickel, lead, selenium, strontium, vanadium and zinc.

They found metals in all types of tampons, though concentrations varied by where the tampons were purchased (US vs. EU/UK), organic vs. nonorganic and generic vs. name-brand. Lead concentrations were higher in nonorganic tampons, while arsenic was greater in organic tampons.

The findings were published this week in the journal Environment International .

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34 million American women use tampons , often for hours at a time and for several days.

The authors of the latest study say they need to research if the metals are contributing to any negative health effects.

Lead is of particular concern. Any lead that leaches out of a tampon can lead to “numerous adverse neurological, renal, cardiovascular, hematological, immunological, reproductive, and developmental effects,” the researchers wrote in their findings.

Lead is stored in the bones, replacing calcium, and can be retained in the body for decades.

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Study co-author Kathrin Schilling, an assistant professor at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, explains, “Although toxic metals are ubiquitous and we are exposed to low levels at any given time, our study clearly shows that metals are also present in menstrual products and that women might be at higher risk for exposure using these products.”

Tampons are a particularly worrisome source of chemical exposure because the skin of the vagina has a higher potential for absorption than skin elsewhere else on the body.

As the study notes, “Vaginally absorbed chemicals do not undergo first-pass metabolism and detoxification via the liver and directly enter systemic circulation.”

Exposure to and absorption of metals are known to increase the risk of dementia, infertility, diabetes and cancer. Metals can compromise fetal development and damage the liver, kidneys, brain, and cardiovascular, nervous and endocrine systems.

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Metals can be introduced into tampons in several ways. The raw materials of cotton, rayon or viscose may be contaminated during production.

Tampons can also be contaminated by water during the manufacturing process, or metals may be deliberately added for whitening, antibacterial agents, odor control or lubrication.

Toxic metals aren’t the only danger posed by tampons — toxic shock syndrome , commonly associated with their use, affects 1 in every 100,000 people and can cause severe organ damage or even death.

The US Food and Drug Administration classifies tampons as medical devices, but the agency has said it “does not clear or approve individual materials that are used in the fabrication of medical devices.”

In 2019, New York became the first state to make ingredient labels on menstrual products mandatory.

Shearston hopes that the results of this study lead to reforms that ensure safer, better tampons are available to those who use them. “I really hope that manufacturers are required to test their products for metals, especially for toxic metals,” she said. “It would be exciting to see the public call for this or to ask for better labeling on tampons and other menstrual products.”

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