New study shows tampons contain toxic metals. Should we ditch them?

As if dealing with your menstrual cycle wasn’t bad enough, there’s a new study that may leave women horrified and even reconsider using this menstrual product.

Researchers from the University of California, Berkeley examined 30 tampons from 14 different brands and found 16 types of toxic metals, which could put women at greater risk of potentially fatal health conditions.

Here’s what we know so far and should women be concerned?

What does the study reveal?

Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley analysed 30 tampons from 14 tampon brands obtained in the US, Greece and England and published their findings in Environmental International.

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The research revealed that the tampons contained “several toxic metals,” including lead and arsenic.

The metals found in the tampons — including organic and non-organic ones — are arsenic, barium., calcium, cadmium, cobalt, chromium, copper, iron, manganese, mercury, nickel, lead, selenium, strontium, vanadium and zinc.

“Some tampons had higher concentrations of one metal, lower concentrations of another,” Jenni A Shearston, PhD, the lead author on the paper, told TODAY.com. “There wasn’t a specific tampon that we tested that seemed to have… a lower concentration of all the metals.”

The authors of the research noted that it is not clear whether the metal levels found in the tampons would contribute any negative health effects to users but called for more research to be done. “Despite this large potential for public health concern, very little research has been done to measure chemicals in tampons,” said Shearston, adding: “To our knowledge, this is the first paper to measure metals in tampons.”

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Shearston added, “I really hope that manufacturers are required to test their products for metals, especially for toxic metals. It would be exciting to see the public call for this, or to ask for better labelling on tampons and other menstrual products.”

The study also revealed that organic tampons have high levels of arsenic while non-organic ones have a high level of lead. The authors have written that the presence of metals in organic cotton tampons could be owing to the use of fertilisers prevalent in the soil of organic cotton fields.

Unfortunately, the researchers haven’t named the brands they analysed. Commenting on this, Dr Jennifer Lincoln, an ob-gyn, told TODAY.com: “We don’t know what brands were tested as this was blinded in the study, which I know is frustrating.”

Is this dangerous?

The notion that tampons carry metals in them is concerning. This is particularly worrying because the walls of the human vagina are lined with a highly absorptive tissue that has the potential to soak up stray pollutants – like metals – that would circulate in the bloodstream without being filtered by the liver first.

It is important to note here that the study only measured the levels of metals in the materials of the tampons. It did not measure any levels of these metals in the blood to correlate with human health.

Banafsheh Bayati, MD, obstetrician-gynaecologist, FACOG, told Vogue: The vaginal mucosa has a large surface area that is highly vascular and permeable. As a result, the vagina allows for efficient absorption of chemicals. More importantly, this absorption enters the systemic circulation, bypassing the liver for detoxification. Given that half the population undergoes menses and the popularity of tampon use, this study once again highlights the historical lack of knowledge when considering female health in the medical world.”

Previous studies have shown that exposure to the metals, which were found in the tampons, is dangerous for human health. They have been previously linked to a range of health issues, including dementia, infertility, diabetes, heart and cancer, along with damage to the cardiovascular, nervous, and endocrine systems.

For instance, high levels of zinc, which is the highest metal found in a single sample, can cause a range of symptoms, such as nausea, diarrhoea, and headaches. Similarly, high levels of mercury can cause tremors, insomnia, disturbances in sensations and even changes in nerve responses.

Previous studies have shown that arsenic poisoning can cause major health complications such as cancer, liver disease, and death if it is not treated.

Should we ditch tampons?

Does this mean that women should opt for something other than tampons? After all, that’s a big ask, as an approximate 52–86 per cent of people who menstruate in the United States use tampons.

Medical experts have noted that while the study is important, it doesn’t merit throwing out tampons just yet. That’s because the University of California, Berkeley press release notes that “it’s unclear if the metals detected by this study are contributing to any negative health effects.”

Christine Greves, MD, an ob-gyn at the Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women and Babies in Orlando, Florida, told Women’s Health not to panic just yet. “We are exposed to these metals every day and we even need some of these metals, like zinc, for our body to function,” she tells Women’s Health.

Even the lead author of the study noted that “we do not yet know if metals can leach out of the tampon and whether they are absorbed by the body.”

“We therefore can not yet assess to what extent (if any) metals in tampons contribute to any health problems,” she told Women’s Health. “We definitely need more research on this severely understudied area, especially because millions of people could be affected.”

Dr Mitchell Kramer, chair of ob-gyn at Huntington Hospital Northwell Health, also concurred. “People do not need to panic,” Kramer says. “We haven’t established that these products are dangerous or causing people to get really sick. I don’t think that’s the case. I think these levels of these heavy metals are very low,” she was quoted telling TODAY.com.

Dr Lincoln also opined, “Per this study, the average amount of lead found in tampons was actually very small, and far lower than what is considered concerning in our food or water.” She further added, “This doesn’t negate the study’s findings, but it’s an important perspective when people are deciding if they want to continue using tampons or not.”

But if you aren’t comfortable using a tampon after reading this, there’s a gamut of menstrual products one can choose from — from sanitary pads to menstrual cups and more. If none work for you, there’s also free bleeding .

With inputs from agencies