Lead and arsenic found in tampons in first-of-its-kind study raising concerns about their safety

Disposable sanitary products have been in the eye of controversy for years, especially with concerns raised about them being an environmental hazard. While they have also been flagged for being unsafe for health, a new study has now found the specific type of dangerous matter that tampons contain. Researchers have found worrying levels of several toxic metals in tampons, including lead, which shockingly had the highest concentration.

Jenni Shearston, an environmental epidemiologist at Columbia University in the United States, says "this is the first paper to measure metals in tampons".

"Despite this large potential for public health concern, very little research has been done to measure chemicals in tampons," she added.

"Concerningly, we found concentrations of all metals we tested for, including toxic metals like arsenic and lead."

The finding is extremely important as there is a risk of the body soaking up these metals which can then enter the bloodstream. A highly absorptive tissue lines the walls of the human vagina which can absorb stray pollutants, like metals. These metals will continue to stay in the bloodstream without being filtered by the liver first.

Notably, up to 86 per cent of menstruating people in the US use tampons.

The study method

The researchers assessed concentrations of 16 different metals using mass spectrometry. Thirty tampons from 14 brands, across 18 product lines were used in the study. While no manufacturers, brands, or product lines were named in the study, products were supposedly bought from the United Kingdom, the US, and Europe.

Metals assessed include arsenic, barium, calcium, cadmium, cobalt, chromium, copper, iron, manganese, mercury, nickel, lead, selenium, strontium, vanadium, and zinc. Shockingly, measurable concentrations of all these metals were found in the tampons.

With an average concentration of 120 nanograms per gram of tampon, lead was way ahead of other metals found in the tampons. Cadmium, at 6.74 nanograms per gram, and arsenic, at 2.56 nanograms per gram, are next on the list.

Organic tampons were also not found to be safe and had higher levels of arsenic. Lead concentrations were highest in non-organic tampons. Overall, none of the tampons tested had consistently lower levels of metals.

How did the metals enter the tampons?

Researchers say that this likely happened during the manufacturing process. The absorbent material in the tampons is made up of cotton, rayon, or viscose which can be laced with metals due to the pesticides, fertilisers, and wastewater in the soil. Pigments or antibacterial agents added later in the manufacturing process can also cause tampons to take in more chemicals.

There is a lack of data on the absorption of chemicals through the vagina walls. However, the researchers think that the results of the study show that safety standards around sanitary products need to be revised.