First study to measure toxic metals in tampons shows arsenic and lead, among other contaminants

Tampons from a number of manufacturers that probably thousands and thousands of individuals use every month can include poisonous metals like lead, arsenic, and cadmium, a brand new examine led by a UC Berkeley researcher has discovered. The work is published within the journal Setting Worldwide.

Tampons are of specific concern as a possible supply of publicity to chemical substances, together with metals, as a result of the pores and skin of the vagina has a better potential for chemical absorption than pores and skin elsewhere on the physique. As well as, the merchandise are utilized by a big share of the inhabitants on a month-to-month foundation—50–80% of those that menstruate use tampons—for a number of hours at a time.

“Regardless of this huge potential for public well being concern, little or no analysis has been carried out to measure chemical substances in tampons,” mentioned lead creator Jenni A. Shearston, a postdoctoral scholar on the UC Berkeley College of Public Well being and UC Berkeley’s Division of Environmental Science, Coverage, & Administration.

“To our information, that is the primary paper to measure metals in tampons. Concerningly, we discovered concentrations of all metals we examined for, together with poisonous metals like arsenic and lead.”

Metals have been discovered to extend the chance of dementia, infertility, diabetes, and most cancers. They will injury the liver, kidneys, and mind, in addition to the cardiovascular, nervous, and endocrine methods. As well as, metals can hurt maternal well being and fetal growth.

“Though poisonous metals are ubiquitous and we’re uncovered to low ranges at any given time, our examine clearly reveals that metals are additionally current in menstrual merchandise, and that girls could be at greater danger for publicity utilizing these merchandise,” mentioned examine co-author Kathrin Schilling, assistant professor at Columbia College Mailman College of Public Well being.

Researchers evaluated ranges of 16 metals (arsenic, barium, calcium, cadmium, cobalt, chromium, copper, iron, manganese, mercury, nickel, lead, selenium, strontium, vanadium, and zinc) in 30 tampons from 14 completely different manufacturers.

The steel concentrations different by the place the tampons have been bought (US vs. EU/UK), natural vs. non-organic, and store- vs. name-brand. Nonetheless, they discovered that metals have been current in all forms of tampons; no class had persistently decrease concentrations of all or most metals. Lead concentrations have been greater in non-organic tampons however arsenic was greater in natural tampons.

Metals may make their manner into tampons a variety of methods: The cotton materials may have absorbed the metals from water, air, soil, by means of a close-by contaminant (for instance, if a cotton area was close to a lead smelter), or some could be added deliberately throughout manufacturing as a part of a pigment, whitener, antibacterial agent, or another course of within the manufacturing unit producing the merchandise.

“I actually hope that producers are required to check their merchandise for metals, particularly for poisonous metals,” mentioned Shearston. “It might be thrilling to see the general public name for this, or to ask for higher labeling on tampons and different menstrual merchandise.”

For the second, it is unclear if the metals detected by this examine are contributing to any damaging well being results. Future analysis will check how a lot of those metals can leach out of the tampons and be absorbed by the physique, in addition to measuring the presence of different chemical substances in tampons.