Concern as tampons found to have dangerous toxic metals

Tampons have been found to contain traces of harmful metals which can cause serious health risks when absorbed by the body. 

Researchers found metals like arsenic, lead, mercury, nickel, copper, and iron in all of the tampons they tested. The levels of the metals varied based on whether the tampons were sold in the US, UK, or the EU.

The study was conducted by a University of California Berkeley professor, who said that despite this 'large potential for public health concern', very little research has been done to measure chemicals in tampons. 

“To our knowledge, this is the first paper to measure metals in tampons,” said lead author Jenni A. Shearston.

“Concerningly, we found concentrations of all metals we tested for, including toxic metals like arsenic and lead.”

Metals have been found to increase the risk of dementia, infertility, diabetes, and cancer. They can also damage the liver, kidneys and brain, as well as the cardiovascular and nervous systems. 

Other factors that were considered in the study included whether the tampons were organic or non-organic and if they were by leading brands or supermarket own brands. 

30 tampons from 14 different brands were evaluated, all found to contain metals.

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Metals could make their way into tampons a number of ways, as the cotton material could have absorbed some from water, air, soil or through a nearby contaminant.

Some might be added intentionally during manufacturing as part of a pigment, whitener, antibacterial agent, or some other process in the factory producing the products.

For the moment, it’s unclear if the metals detected by this study are contributing to any negative health effects. 

Women are advised to always check the ingredients on the box.