The US Food and Drug Administration will be carrying out studies to investigate any potential harm to women from the presence of heavy metals, like arsenic and lead, which were found in tampons in a small pilot study earlier this year.
CNN reports that although the levels of both metals were low, there is no safe level of exposure to lead, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency.
The July study discovered only the presence of the metals and “did not test whether metals are released from tampons when used”, said the FDA.
“It also did not test for metals being released, absorbed into the vaginal lining, and getting into the bloodstream during tampon use, so the FDA has commissioned an independent literature review and initiated an internal bench laboratory study.”
Tests for various metals
The July study tested 30 tampons from 14 brands bought from major online retailers and stores in the US, the UK and Greece, looking for 16 heavy metals: arsenic, barium, calcium, cadmium, cobalt, chromium, copper, iron, manganese, mercury, nickel, lead, selenium, strontium, vanadium and zinc.
Senior study author Kathrin Schilling, assistant professor of environmental health sciences at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health told CNN at the time: “We found an average of 100 nanograms per gram of lead and 2 nanograms per gram of arsenic in the tampons. There were no detectable levels of chromium or mercury, which is very good.”
Organic tampons contained higher levels of arsenic, while non-organic tampons had higher levels of lead, the study found.
“The average lead concentration in tampons was about 10 times higher than the maximum levels currently allowed in drinking water,” Schilling said, adding that arsenic levels were five times lower than current limits for drinking water.
“But it’s important to note that arsenic shouldn’t be present in tampons at all, and we don’t yet understand the effects of vaginal exposure since it hasn’t been studied,” she said. “There is no safe level of lead exposure, and it has been shown to cause reproductive health issues in women.”
Vaginal tissue is more permeable than other parts of the body, so if studies were to find that heavy metals – or worrisome chemicals – do leach from menstrual products into the body, it could be a significant problem, said Anna Pollack, associate professor of global and community health at George Mason University in Virginia. She was not involved in the pilot study.
Tampon makers and the FDA recommend that tampons not be used at night or for longer than eight hours, due to a greater risk of toxic shock syndrome, a deadly bacterial infection that can cause organ failure and death if not treated.
CNN article – Lead, arsenic and other heavy metals in tampons prompt FDA investigation (Open access)
See more from MedicalBrief archives:
Toxic metals, including lead, found in tampons – US study
Greater risk of toxic shock syndrome from menstrual cups