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LAURA IN MARYLAND ASKS:
My kids told me “toxic tampons” are trending on TikTok. What does this even mean? Which tampons are toxic—and is there something safer we should be using?
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MOM DETECTIVE ANSWERS:
Hi Laura, “toxic tampons” sound incredibly weird. How can this be? Your kids are referring to a recent study that found lead, arsenic, and other metals in tampons. You never know if an environmental health study is going to reach the masses, but this horrifying news has really taken off. Studies about menstrual health, including unsafe ingredients, are few and far between, so I’m thrilled this one has gotten attention; what’s more intimate than a tampon? We all need to know what our period products contain, yet there’s currently no federal requirement to disclose this information. Some states are trying to take up this slack: in 2019, New York even passed a first-in-nation menstrual products ingredient disclosure law. Mostly what’s in our pads, tampons, cups, and absorbent underwear is woefully under researched.
Before I answer your question more fully, full disclosure on my background regarding toxic chemicals and menstrual care: I am a longtime board member of Clean & Healthy, a New York State–based advocacy group that pushed the 2019 ingredient disclosure law. I have also co-authored two books with companies that sell tampons. But most importantly, as a woman and a mom of two daughters, I’ve been through puberty several times—and all the fun that comes with it.
The most recent study
The TikTok-trending tampons study on your kids’ radar found evidence of 16 metals (arsenic, barium, calcium, cadmium, cobalt, chromium, copper, iron, manganese, mercury, nickel, lead, selenium, strontium, vanadium, and zinc) in a variety of products sold in the United States and Europe. The metals were found in 100% of tampons tested, though brand names were not disclosed; it’s not a brand issue.
The overarching sentiment on TikTok is alarm. The idea of lead and arsenic in tampons is scary! The reviews in the scientific community have been more mixed. One author of the study expressed shock at the results, while an outside doctor told the New York Times she wasn’t very alarmed because the levels of toxic chemicals found were pretty low. Also, two prior studies by the same researchers didn’t find much higher blood levels of metals in people who use tampons compared with those who don’t. I bristled while reading about doctors trying to place toxic tampons in context by saying heavy metals are in everything, noting there’s more arsenic in rice than tampons. I never love the argument that consumers shouldn’t fret because contamination is widespread. Um, how about we get arsenic out of tampons and rice?
Some background
Talking about vaginas can be, as the kids say, cringy. But let’s discuss, briefly: The lining of the vagina is mucous membrane, the same type of skin that’s in our mouths. It’s moist, can be thin, fragile, and absorbent, and is also pretty magical in how it protects bodies from particles, fluids, and even pathogens. While we know a fair amount about how vaginas function, we don’t know much about how they absorb toxic chemicals. These studies haven’t been done—yet. Shockingly, the National Institute of Health only started vaginal research in 1992, so I guess we’re playing catch up. Here’s hoping someone researches this ASAP. I suspect it would also trend on TikTok—educating many people who deserve to know.
The average woman uses around 11,000 tampons over her lifetime for about 40 years. And yet, we don’t have solid data on cumulative exposure to ingredients in tampons. The FDA regulates period products and is reviewing this most recent study to determine if any action is needed to protect consumers. In an interview about the heavy metal study, Bobbi Wilding, Executive Director of Clean & Healthy, told NPR that more stringent rules are needed for menstrual products. “Companies have to show that they don’t cause problems like bacterial growth or changes in the mucus in the vagina,” she said, “but there are no requirements at the FDA level that limit the kind of chemicals that can be present in menstrual products directly.” It’s time for a change.
So what’s in period care?
Depending on what you use monthly, there could be a variety of chemicals in your product of choice besides heavy metals, including pesticide residue, preservatives, antimicrobial agents, and various petrochemicals.
- Tampons and pads, typically made from cotton, an agricultural crop, could contain pesticide and bleach residue. Some products are sold “unbleached.” There are also chemicals that make pads absorbent. Either can contain fragrance. It’s possible for hundreds of unlabeled and unknown chemicals to be included in any given fragrance; moreover it’s totally unnecessary. Vaginas are naturally self-cleaning organs, and the CDC cautions against using scented products in or around them—including toilet paper—as they can irritate the skin and impact natural pH balance. Tampon applicators are usually made of petroleum-derived plastic.
- Menstrual cups can be disposable or reusable and tend to be made of medical-grade silicone, latex, rubber, or thermoplastic elastomers. These materials are specifically chosen for safety, but people can be allergic to latex, and studies have been done about the release of carcinogenic nitrosamines from rubber products, especially baby bottle nipples.
- Absorbent reusable underwear are made in a variety of materials, some better than others for breathability. Textile manufacturing is chemical-intensive, and residues can remain in fabrics from the processing. Some underwear was even found to contain PFAS forever chemicals (some tampons tested also contained PFAS), which have been linked to a whole host of health concerns.
What’s the safest menstrual product?
Deciding which period product is safest isn’t simple—and it’s always going to be personal. It may be, for now, that an applicator-free unbleached organic cotton tampon feels best to you. Or maybe you want a silicone cup? Your choice. It might be useful to know that the researchers of the recent toxic metals study didn’t find different metal concentrations in tampons with or without applicators. Also, nonorganic tampons studied had higher levels of lead, while organic tampons had higher levels of arsenic.
What is amply clear is that more research is sorely needed on ingredients found in period care—intentionally added or not—how they’re absorbed into the body through the vagina, and their possible health impacts. You can also join Moms Clean Air Force to demand all our elected officials enact the strongest possible safety rules for all consumer products, including tampons.
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