Sex, drugs, and Rock‘n‘Roll was yesterday. Have you heard of blood, tampons, and heavy metal yet? How tampons might poison us and why organic cotton is not the answer.
Menstrual cups, period panties, and menstrual discs – a variety of period products is available for menstruating women. Nonetheless, the tampon remains one of the most popular choices for 52–86 % of the menstruators in the United States. On average a person on their period uses four tampons per day, each of which usually stays inside the vagina for several hours. Due to the nature of the vaginal epithelium, it allows for efficient chemical absorption. Anything absorbed can enter the systemic circulation directly. Hence, the safety of inserted period products is crucial.
Where one might be led to believe that cotton tampons cannot be a reservoir for chemicals or harmful substances as it is a natural product, this could not be further from the truth. Previous studies have already detected several potentially harmful substances in tampons, such as bisphenols, phthalates, or dioxin. A recent study has now investigated what previously has been overlooked: metal(oids) (heron after metals).
Researchers have tested tampons for the presence of 16 different metals, such as lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), cadmium (Cd), and calcium (Ca). For this, they analyzed 30 tampons from 14 different brands, various product types, organic and non-organic, and tampons stemming from either the US or EU/UK (Europe and the United Kingdom) using mass spectrometry.
The researchers detected all 16 metals they tested for, in their sample set. Twelve of the 16 metals were present in 100 % of the samples. The metals that were detected in the highest concentrations were Zinc (Zn; geometric mean [GM] = 52,000 ng/g) and Calcium (Ca; GM = 39,000 ng/g), whereas lowest average concentrations were measured for Arsenic (As; GM=2.56 ng/g).
There was a variation in metal levels between brands, lines and absorbencies, but especially organic and non-organic tampons varied significantly. The median levels of several toxic metals, such as barium (Ba), Cd, and Pb were significantly lower in organic tampons compared to the non-organic tampon samples. But that does not mean that organic tampons are the cure-all. Levels of As and Ca were significantly higher in organic tampons than in non-organic ones.
When comparing the place of purchase of the tampons, those which were sourced in the EU or UK had significantly lower levels of Cd, Cobalt (Co), and Pb over those purchased in the US. Even though tampons are regulated as medical devices, no testing for chemical pollutants is required in the US other than for some dioxides or pesticide. There is also no requirement for chemical testing of tampons in the EU or UK. However, there is a limit to how much of certain metals is allowed in textiles and fabrics. These limits should be reconsidered for tampons due to the vaginal epithelia that absorbs chemicals more effectively than the skin.
But how do these metals end up in our tampons and will they bring harm to the users’ health? According to the authors of the study, the origins can be numerous. This already starts with the plant on the field, as heavy metals can accumulate in soil and plants. The metals can stem from wastewater, pesticides, or similar sources. When absorbed by the plant it could be deposited into the cotton which is then used to produce tampons.
Some metals are even added on purpose during production, such as Ca or Zn. They are often added as either lubrication aid or for their antimicrobial/anti-odor purposes. According to the authors of the study this is also the reason why those two were detected in highest concentrations. In lower concentrations but present: Toxic metals such as Pb or Cd were measured in all tampon samples.
So far it is difficult to draw any conclusions as to how the presence of these metals in tampons might affect women’s health as further research is needed. It remains unclear if and in which quantities metals might leach from tampons and how the body might absorb these. Nonetheless it might be recommendable for your patients to change their tampons more often during the day as a precautious action.
Image Source: Kateryna Hliznitsova, unsplash
