Study finds lead, arsenic in tampons

Doctors, researchers discuss study that found lead, arsenic and chromium in tampons

What you probably already know: People have taken to social media in droves to express anger and concern about a new report that found “measurable concentrations” of toxic metals in many commercial tampon brands. The pilot study, published in ScienceDirect, found zinc, lead, cadmium, mercury, arsenic and other metals in both organic and non-organic tampon brands sold in the U.S. and Europe. Despite the scary-sounding findings, scientists told the New York Times that it might not as bad as it sounds.

Why? One key reason is that tampons are meant to absorb, and that there’s little evidence the body absorbs anything back from the tampon, according to one researcher who has studied tampon absorption. Until there’s evidence that the body is actually absorbing these metals, their presence shouldn’t cause people to panic. That said, there’s very little research on the topic. When it comes to lead, there’s no safe level of exposure.

What it means: Lead was found in every sample, and the fact that many people use tampons monthly for a significant chunk of their lives has researchers the most concerned. While the lead levels were small, prolonged exposure over a person’s lifetime could potentially add up. That said, Dr. Jen Gunter, who frequently dives into studies and misinformation about menstruation and menopause, compared the levels of arsenic, cadmium and lead in the tampon study to what’s currently allowed in bottles of water and nutrition supplements, and showed the latter have significantly higher amounts. Organic green tea, for example, contains more arsenic than a super tampon.

What happens now? More studies are definitely needed before researchers can truly draw conclusions and provide recommendations, particularly studies that look into whether the body is actually absorbing the metals in question.  

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