Study finds toxic metals in tampons, sparking health concerns

[LAUREN TAYLOR]

TOXIC METALS WERE FOUND IN 14 DIFFERENT TAMPON BRANDS – ACCORDING TO A NEW STUDY PUBLISHED EARLIER THIS WEEK IN THE SCIENTIFIC JOURNAL ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL.

RESEARCHERS FOUND EVIDENCE OF ARSENIC, LEAD, MERCURY, NICKEL AND OTHERS IN BOTH ORGANIC AND NON-ORGANIC TAMPONS – WHICH FEMALES COULD ABSORB IF THEY USE TAMPONS DURING MENSTRUATION.

THE STUDY DID NOT NAME THE TAMPON BRANDS.

ONLINE — THE FINDINGS PROMPTED SWIFT BACKLASH  FROM WOMEN.

[TIKTOK]

“SO IF YOU DON’T LIVE UNDER A ROCK, I’M SURE YOU’VE HEARD THE NEWS BY NOW. TAMPONS AND THE FACT THAT THERE’S LEAD AND ARSENIC IN THIS. AND A LOT OF US HAVE KNOWN THAT TAMPONS ARE TOXIC FOR YEARS BUT TO KNOW IT TO THIS EXTENT IS ACTUALLY CRAZY.”

[LAUREN TAYLOR]

BUT HOW CONCERNED SHOULD WOMEN BE IF THEY USE TAMPONS?

WELL, ACCORDING TO THE STUDY – ALL THE TESTED TAMPONS CONTAINED LEAD AND “THERE IS NO SAFE EXPOSURE LEVEL TO LEAD; ANY PROPORTION OF LEAD THAT MAY LEACH OUT OF A TAMPON AND REACH SYSTEMIC CIRCULATION MIGHT CONTRIBUTE TO NEGATIVE HEALTH OUTCOMES.”

THE STUDY STATES THAT LEAD “IS ASSOCIATED WITH NUMEROUS ADVERSE NEUROLOGICAL, RENAL, CARDIOVASCULAR, HEMATOLOGICAL, IMMUNOLOGICAL, REPRODUCTIVE, AND DEVELOPMENTAL EFFECTS,” AND EVEN LOW EXPOSURE TO LEAD “CAN RESULT IN NEUROBEHAVIORAL IMPACTS IN ADULTS AND CHILDREN, INCLUDING DECREASED COGNITIVE FUNCTION SUCH AS IMPAIRED ATTENTION, MEMORY, AND LEARNING ABILITY.” 

NON-ORGANIC TAMPONS HAD HIGHER LEVELS OF LEAD COMPARED TO  THEIR ORGANIC COUNTERPARTS.

HOWEVER – ORGANIC TAMPONS HAD HIGHER LEVELS OF ARSENIC – WHICH ACCORDING TO THE STUDY – “IS A KNOWN CARCINOGEN AND IS ASSOCIATED WITH CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE, DERMATITIS AND OTHER DERMAL EFFECTS, AND RESPIRATORY AND NEUROLOGICAL DISEASE.” 

HOWEVER, RESEARCHERS STATED THEIR STUDY HAD SOME LIMITATIONS – SUCH AS HOW MUCH THE BODY ABSORBED THESE METALS — AND BECAUSE OF THESE LIMITATIONS THEY COULD NOT ESTIMATE HEALTH RISKS *IF ANY* FROM TAMPON USE. 

JENNIFER LINCOLN IS AN OB-GYN BASED IN PORTLAND, OREGON AND POSTED A VIDEO ON TIKTOK PROVIDING SOME CONTEXT:

[JENNIFER LINCOLN]

“SO SHOULD YOU THROW OUT ALL YOUR TAMPONS RIGHT AWAY BECAUSE OF THIS? IF THIS WORRIES YOU, YOU ABSOLUTELY CAN. I PERSONALLY WOULDN’T BECAUSES THESE LEVELS ARE VERY LOW BUT I HEAR YOU IF YOU SAY ‘THERE’S NO ACCEPTABLE LEVEL FOR LEAD.’ I TOTALLY GET THAT. BUT I DO WANT YOU TO UNDERSTAND THAT WE ARE EXPOSED TO ALL OF THESE METALS TO SOME DEGREE IN OUR DAILY LIVES.”

[LAUREN TAYLOR]

LEAD IS PRESENT IN THE ENVIRONMENT AND CAN BE FOUND IN FOODS, CANDIES, SPICES , MEDICINES, COSMETICS AND OTHER EVERYDAY CONSUMABLES.

RESEARCHES SAY MORE TESTING NEEDS TO BE DONE TO DETERMINE THE HEALTH RISKS OF USING TAMPONS.

FOR SAN, I’M LAUREN TAYLOR..