ILLUSTRATION – 27 November 2020, Berlin: Tampons, a panty liner and a sanitary napkin from different manufacturers are on one table. Photo: Annette Riedl/dpa (Photo by Annette Riedl/picture alliance via Getty Images)
(KRON) — Major tampon brands can contain toxic metals like lead, arsenic, and cadmium, according to a new study by UC Berkeley researcher Jenni A. Shearston.
“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,” Shearstton, a Post-Doc scholar at the UC Berkeley School of Public Health, said.
Researchers evaluated levels of 16 metals in 30 tampons from 14 different brands from the United States and Europe. According to the study, “metals were present in all types of tampons; no category had consistently lower concentrations of all or most metals.”
Despite lead concentrations being higher in non-organic tampons, arsenic was higher in organic tampons, the study stated.
The study said these metals have been found to increase the risks of dementia, infertility, diabetes, and cancer. It can also damage the “liver, kidneys, and brain, as well as the cardiovascular, nervous, and endocrine systems. In addition, metals can harm maternal health.”
“Despite this large potential for a public health concern, very little research has been done to measure chemicals in tampons,” Shearston said, claiming tampons are of particular concern because “the skin of the vagina has a higher potential for chemical absorption than skin elsewhere on the body,” the study said.
Manufacturing flaws aside, researchers said metals could enter tampons by being absorbed from water, air, soil, and nearby containment, such as if a cotton field was near a lead smelter.
“I really hope that manufacturers are required to test their products for metals, especially for toxic metals,” said Shearston. “It would be exciting to see the public call for this, or to ask for better labeling on tampons and other menstrual products.”