No one wants to hear that their tampons could contain a bit of arsenic. But that’s just the news that hit headlines recently. According to research published in the journal Environment International, several toxic metals were detected in 14 different kinds of tampons (the specific brands were not named). These included lead, zinc, and arsenic, with higher lead concentrations found in non-organic tampons, and higher arsenic concentrations in organic tampons.
We’re not here to convince you that this news isn’t concerning, at least on a surface level. However, on the off chance that splashy headlines have left you stranded in Amazon’s “menstrual cup” reviews, there is some important context to consider. Since this tampon study was released, several experts have taken to social media to offer more information and point out some inaccuracies in how the findings are being presented.
While people have every right to be frustrated with the medical misogyny that’s prevented more research about menstruation and menstrual health, it doesn’t help us if the information we do have is misinterpreted or misportrayed.
“Medicine and scientific study has a long systemic history of misogyny and we still have a long way to go to overcome that. That reality is magnified and exacerbated by social media and clickbait headlines, though,” says immunologist and microbiologist Andrea Love, PhD. “Getting people scared and anxious is profitable. Emotional reactions cause people to ignore logic and that makes money — for media outlets, for advertisers, for influencers who are now capitalizing on the misinformation to sell ‘detox’ supplements, and more.”
Read on to get the full story, and find out where we go from here — according to doctors and OBGYNs.
Experts Featured in This Article:
Andrea Love, PhD, is an immunologist and microbiologist, as well as an advisory board member for POPSUGAR’s Condition Center.
Karla Loken, DO, FACOOG, is a board-certified OBGYN and the VP of Medical Affairs and Clinical Operations at HerMD.
What to Know About the Study
While the findings may have been presented as cold, hard fact, the bottom line is that this tampon study was largely exploratory, something that even the authors acknowledge.
That doesn’t mean some of the findings aren’t accurate — trace levels of environmental metals were, indeed, found in the tampons studied, Dr. Love says. But what the study can’t tell us is what risk the presence of these really pose, and whether we’re even exposed to these metals in the first place.
To further explain: in the study, researchers digested tampon materials using acid and heat, rather than simulating the vaginal environment. This means we still don’t know if toxic metals can release from tampons when used in real life. “In fact, based on what we know about plant cells, plant fibers, and their interaction with metalloids, we know that they are bound very tightly — so it would be highly improbable that these impurities would leach out of a tampon,” Dr. Love says.
She adds that even if metals did manage to leak out of tampons, “they would have to be absorbed by the mucosal cells in the vagina for there to even be a potential exposure,” which is when a real concern would arise.
So to sum up: yes, the study found the presence of environmental metals in certain tampons in a lab setting, which isn’t great. But it’s still unclear whether those metals would release from a tampon when it was being used by an actual person, in real life. And even if they would, we don’t know if the vaginal membrane could absorb those metals.
“The major takeaway is, we need more research as well as to be aware of what we’re putting in our bodies,” says Karla Loken, DO, FACOOG. “We are finding a correlation between toxicities and current products on the market, and [people] need to be educated.”
Should You Be Worried?
“The reality is, this study — which looked at 30 individual tampons in total — should not make anyone fearful of using tampons if that is their preferred menstrual product,” Dr. Love says. She adds that the data in the tampon study had high variability and would need to be successfully replicated with larger sample sizes.
“If we want to answer legitimate health questions, we need research studies and models that are representative of humans and our physiology,” Dr. Love says. That means looking into whether or not metals actually leave tampons after insertion, and if so, to what extent. We’d also need to see how these metals interact with the cells in the vagina, whether they’re absorbed into the bloodstream, and how this impacts our overall health.
“People should always be aware, but we shouldn’t panic over a single research article,” Dr. Loken agrees. “Instead, we should conduct further investigations and consider each individual, eliminating any toxicity unrelated to the tampon. We also should look to the FDA and the EPA to offer advice in these areas when something is truly a danger to us.”
Where Do We Go From Here?
In 2020, an estimated 34.1 million women in the US used tampons, according to data from the United Nations and Simmons National Consumer Survey (NHCS). The fact that we’re just now talking about toxic metals when the first commercial tampon was introduced in 1936 is a glaring example of how little we actually invest in menstrual health.
“We definitely need more research. More correlative real-world evidence,” Dr. Loken says, adding that this study has definitely sparked a much-needed conversation about menstrual products and menstrual health. Dr. Love agrees, but says that the kind of research matters.
“The best way to move forward? Acknowledge that there are gaps in women’s scientific and medical research — that women have been historically marginalized. Bt that doesn’t mean bad science and clickbait is the answer,” Dr. Love says. “More research and data is not a bad thing, but it has to come from studies that have good methodologies, that are being conducted by the appropriate experts.” In this case, that means actual biomedical scientists and less fear-mongering across the board.
Chandler Plante is an assistant editor for PS Health & Fitness. Previously, she worked as an editorial assistant for People magazine and contributed to Ladygunn, Millie, and Bustle Digital Group. In her free time, she overshares on the internet, creating content about chronic illness, beauty, and disability.