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Move over, toxic shock syndrome. There’s a new type of toxicity to be concerned about in tampons: Toxic metals.
New research published in the August 2024 edition of the journal Environment International found traces of lead, arsenic, cadmium and 13 other metals in tampons. The researchers tested organic and non-organic tampons from different brands sold throughout the United States, the European Union and the United Kingdom.
“Many of the metals investigated are known to have toxicant properties for humans,” says Dr. Catherine Karr, an environmental epidemiologist, UW Medicine pediatrician and a professor in Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences at the University of Washington School of Public Health, who was not involved in the study. “For example, lead is a well-established neurotoxicant and arsenic is a known carcinogen.”
Should you throw out all your tampons? Not just yet — here’s why.
So, how did toxic metals end up in tampons?
Let’s quickly go over how the results of this study could even be a thing. All tampons approved for use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are made with cotton, rayon or a combination of the two. Rayon is made with some natural ingredients, such as wood cellulose. Cotton, of course, comes from a plant.
“The legacy of the use of toxic metals in the past has led to widespread environmental contamination, including in soil,” Karr explains. “This is likely an important way that tampons become contaminated, since cotton used to produce them may be grown in soil that contains lead.”
Are the metals in tampons harmful to the body?
While the new research found that tampons contain toxic metals, it didn’t address whether those metals get absorbed (or not) into the body through tampon use. So, there’s no need to panic just yet.
“We do know that metals such as lead are not well absorbed across intact skin, but whether this is the case for the epithelial lining of the vaginal tract is not clear,” Karr says.
There is no safe amount of lead exposure, and lead is a known cause of neurological issues and cancer and can also raise your blood pressure. Long-term exposure to lower levels of arsenic can cause cancer, while long-term exposure to lower levels of cadmium can lead to kidney, bone and lung disease.
Because of these risks, future research will need to be done to determine if the metals are absorbed and, if they are, in what quantities.
Should you stop using tampons?
Karr doesn’t recommend giving up on tampons, at least not yet. It is, of course, important to use them safely: never wear a single tampon for more than eight hours and wear the lowest-absorbency tampons that works effectively for you.
While it’s still unknown if people are at risk of exposure to toxic metals from using tampons, there are other well-known sources where these metals can lurk:
- Lead is often found in imported spices, cookware and makeup; paint in houses built before 1978; and in water if the plumbing contains lead.
- Arsenic can sometimes be found in rice and in contaminated well water.
- Cadmium is found in tobacco products.
If you’re concerned about exposure — or if you’re trying to get or are pregnant, since toxic metals are even more of a risk to a fetus — Karr recommends taking steps to keep yourself safe:
- Run water from your faucet until it’s cold
- Use only cold water for drinking and cooking
- Regularly clean the screens on your faucets
- Reduce your rice intake
- Quit smoking or using other tobacco products
“There is a well-established and readily available lab test for assessing long term and recent exposure to lead,” Karr says. “Pregnant individuals and parents who are concerned about lead exposure can discuss with their healthcare provider about getting a blood lead test.”
