When we used to refer to the “period tax,” we were talking about the money we had to pay for menstrual products. Now, it is taking on new meaning. Newsweek reported that more than 16 toxic metals, like arsenic and lead, have been found in some tampon brands.
Jenni A. Shearston, an epidemiologist at the University of California, Berkeley, led the study. According to the study, “Between 52–86% of people who menstruate in the United States use tampons—cotton and/or rayon/viscose ‘plugs’—to absorb menstrual blood in the vagina.
Tampons may contain metals from agricultural or manufacturing processes, which could be absorbed by the vagina’s highly absorbent tissue, resulting in systemic exposure. To our knowledge, no previous studies have measured metals in tampons.”
The team examined “14 tampon brands and 18 product lines and compared the concentrations by tampon characteristics.” (Think: Regular, Super, and Super Plus). They found 16 metals in total: arsenic, barium, calcium, cadmium, cobalt, chromium, copper, iron, manganese, mercury, nickel, lead, selenium, strontium, vanadium, and zinc.
They purchased products in the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union. All the types tested had detectable levels of metals, which Newsweek reports may cause depression.
Are you safer with organic brands? Not exactly. You are exposed to different toxins. The non-organic tampons tested had higher lead levels, and organic tampons were more likely to contain arsenic.
Newsweek reported, “Despite this large potential for public health concern, very little research has been done to measure chemicals in tampons,” said Jenni Shearston, a postdoctoral scholar at the UC Berkeley School of Public Health and UC Berkeley’s Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, said in a statement.
“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.”
What’s the risk to our health? Exposure to metal can cause things like infertility, cancer, diabetes, and dementia. They can impact maternal health and fetal development and cause damage to the liver, kidney, brain, and cardiovascular system. However, it is unclear whether the amount of metals contained in tampons would impact us this way.
Since this is the first study of its kind, be aware of the possible implications. Stay tuned to see if there will be any changes in the laws that will include better labeling.
Also, talk to your GYN about your alternative.
