Arsenic, lead and other metals detected in tampons: FDA says they do not pose health risks
For a heavy metal detection study, 30 tampons from 14 brands from the United States, United Kingdom, and Greece were tested.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) concludes that arsenic, lead and other metals detected in tampons do not pose significant health risks to women. This ruling comes after a rigorous study designed to evaluate the safety of menstrual products.
Previous research has raised alarms about the safety of tampons, focusing on the possibility that women absorb small amounts of toxic metals. Certain metals and chemical groups are known to disrupt the body's endocrine system, which regulates sexual development, metabolism, blood sugar, mood, sleep, and more. Hence the concern.
These concerns motivated the FDA to conduct a comprehensive study on the composition of menstrual products. According to experts, the average menstruating person will spend about five years of their total reproductive life using approximately 11,000 tampons, sanitary pads, panty liners and other menstrual products, reports CNN.
laboratory project
The FDA effort included laboratory testing to detect metal levels in tampons and evaluate their absorption. The methodologies used were rigorous, guaranteeing accurate and reliable results that now support the agency's decision.
The FDA statement could ease many women's concerns about the safety of menstrual products. The conclusion also reaffirms the importance of regulatory control in everyday products.
Heavy metals in the body
For the study, 30 tampons from 14 brands purchased at major stores and online retailers in the United States, the United Kingdom and Greece were tested. The researchers carried out a blind study, so they did not know the brands, they note.
Tests were performed for 16 heavy metals: arsenic, barium, calcium, cadmium, cobalt, chromium, copper, iron, manganese, mercury, nickel, lead, selenium, strontium, vanadium and zinc.
“We found an average of 100 nanograms per gram of lead and 2 nanograms per gram of arsenic in the tampons, but there was no detectable level of chromium or mercury, which is very good,” said the study's lead author, Kathrin Schilling, an associate professor of environmental health sciences at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health in New York City.
"I don't want people to panic, but be aware that heavy metals were found in these menstrual products. Obviously, the next step is to do research to show if the metals leach from the tampon into the body," Schilling said.
Effects of exposure to heavy metals
In the long term, exposure to heavy metals such as lead, arsenic and cadmium can be associated with neurological, kidney and cardiovascular damage, as well as an increased risk of diabetes and some cancers; It can also affect reproduction and, during pregnancy, fetal development.
In the case of menstrual products, the main point of uncertainty is how much of these metals actually reaches the body, because recent studies have detected their presence, but have not yet clearly demonstrated absorption through the vaginal epithelium or the exact risk to health.
Recent studies have found toxic metals in tampons of various brands, including lead and arsenic, and suggest they could be a potential source of exposure in people who menstruate. However, the authors also acknowledge that it remains to be demonstrated whether these metals are released from the product and enter the bloodstream during use.
Chronic heavy metal toxicity can accumulate over time and, according to general evidence in environmental health, can cause problems such as cognitive impairment, fatigue, headache, nausea, muscle weakness, skin irritation, kidney damage and heart problems. Long-term exposure has also been linked to chronic diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease and some types of cancer.
There is no solid conclusion yet about how much actual exposure menstrual products cause or whether that exposure is enough to cause measurable long-term harm. Therefore, today the most prudent message is one of informed caution, not alarm: there is detection of metals, but there is a lack of direct evidence of absorption and clinical consequences in users.
Seek medical attention if there are persistent symptoms that could be consistent with metal toxicity, such as frequent headache, nausea, marked tiredness, weakness, memory problems, or unexplained irritation, especially if there is another possible source of exposure.