First Study to Measure Toxic Metals in Tampons Shows Arsenic and Lead, Among Other Contaminants

Tampons from several brands that potentially millions of people use each month can contain toxic metals like lead, arsenic, and cadmium, a new study by researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and UC Berkeley finds. This is the first paper to measure metals in tampons. The findings are published in Environmental International.

Tampons are of particular concern as a potential source of exposure to chemicals, including metals, because the skin of the vagina has a higher potential for chemical absorption than skin elsewhere on the body. In addition, the products are used by a large percentage of the population on a monthly basis—50–80 percent of those who menstruate use tampons—for several hours at a time.

“Despite this large potential for public health concern, very little research has been done to measure chemicals in tampons,” said lead author Jenni A. Shearston, a postdoctoral scholar at the UC Berkeley School of Public Health and UC Berkeley’s Department of Environmental Science, Policy, & Management who was previously a doctoral student in Columbia Mailman School’s Department of Environmental Health Sciences. “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 damage the liver, kidneys, and brain, as well as the cardiovascular, nervous, and endocrine systems. In addition, metals can harm maternal health and fetal development.

“Although toxic metals are ubiquitous and we are exposed to low levels at any given time, our study clearly shows that metals are also present in menstrual products, and that women might be at higher risk for exposure using these products,” said study co-author Kathrin Schilling, assistant professor at Columbia Mailman School.

Researchers evaluated levels of 16 metals (arsenic, barium, calcium, cadmium, cobalt, chromium, copper, iron, manganese, mercury, nickel, lead, selenium, strontium, vanadium, and zinc) in 30 tampons from 14 different brands. The metal concentrations varied by where the tampons were purchased (US vs. EU/UK), organic vs. non-organic, and store- vs. name-brand. However, metals were present in all types of tampons; no category had consistently lower concentrations of all or most metals. Lead concentrations were higher in non-organic tampons but arsenic was higher in organic tampons.

Metals could make their way into tampons in several ways: The cotton material could have absorbed the metals from water, air, soil, through a nearby contaminant (for example, if a cotton field was near a lead smelter), or 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.

The researchers hope that manufacturers will be required to test their products for metals, especially for toxic metals. “It would be exciting to see the public call for this, or to ask for better labeling on tampons and other menstrual products,” said Shearston.

For the moment, it’s unclear if the metals detected by this study are contributing to any negative health effects. Future research will test how much of these metals can leach out of the tampons and be absorbed by the body; as well as measure the presence of other chemicals in tampons.

Other co-authors include Kristen Upson, Michigan State University;  Khue Nguyen and Beizhan Yan of Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University; and Milo Gordon, Vivian Do, Olgica Balac, and Marianthi-Anna Kioumourtzoglou of Columbia Mailman School.

Funding was provided by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences; the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; and the National Institute of Nursing Research.