American researchers who investigated the presence of metals in tampons commonly used by menstruating women found several toxic metals, like cadmium, lead, and arsenic, in significant concentrations in the products.
The study, led by Columbia University, tested 30 tampons from 18 product lines and 14 brands for 16 metals or metalloids, and compared the metal concentrations based on tampon characteristics, reports News-Medical.net.
Their findings were published in Environment International.
Background
A significant portion of menstruating individuals use tampons to manage the bleeding. Tampons are plugs made of viscose, cotton, or rayon that can be inserted into the vagina to absorb the menstrual blood.
Previous studies have detected various chemicals in tampons, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, parabens, volatile organic compounds, dioxins, etc.
However, few studies have investigated the potential exposure to metals through tampons.
Concentrations
In this study, the researchers aimed to measure the concentrations of 16 metals or metalloids in 14 brands of tampons. The presence of the following metals in tampons was investigated: arsenic, barium, calcium, cadmium, cobalt, chromium, copper, iron, mercury, manganese, nickel, lead, selenium, strontium, vanadium and zinc.
A total of 30 samples of five different absorbencies, representing 18 product lines (different tampons produced by the same brand), and 14 brands were tested.
The samples included top-selling brands in online retail stores and ‘store brands’ belonging to some of the large retail chains in the US. Tampons were also purchased from online retailers in Greece and the United Kingdom.
Tampon products selected for this analysis included various brand-product line-absorbency combinations: seven products labelled as organic (noting that there is no legal definition of ‘organic’ for tampons), four products purchased outside the US, five store-brand products (those carrying the store’s brand name or made specifically for that store), and seven products without a plastic applicator (either no applicator or a cardboard applicator).
The analysis tested eight products with “Regular” absorbency, 11 with “Super” absorbency, four with “Super Plus” absorbency, and one with “Ultra” absorbency.
Tampons generally consist of an absorbent core that is surrounded, in some tampons, by an outer covering made of non-woven material and a string attached to make retrieval easier.
If present, samples of the absorbent core and the outer covering were taken. The samples were acid digested, and all samples were processed in duplicates.
The concentrations of all the metals were tested using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, although a slightly different method was used to measure the mercury concentration compared with that of the other metals. The method detection limit and the method quantification limit were calculated.
The metal concentration distributions in the tampons were characterised, and the heterogeneity in the metal concentrations within the tampons was assessed.
The researchers also compared the variability in metal concentrations within tampons with that between tampons.
Additionally, the median values of the metal concentrations in the tampons were used to compare the variability between non-organic and organic tampons, between those with a cardboard or no applicator and those with a plastic applicator, between store-brand and name-brand tampons, and between those bought in the US and those from Britain or Greece.
Alarming
The study found the presence of all 16 metals in the assortment of widely available tampon types and brands they tested.
Several toxic metals, such as cadmium, lead, and arsenic, were found in significant concentrations, but the presence of mercury or chromium was not substantial. Calcium and zinc were found in higher concentrations than other metals.
The variability in metal concentrations within the tampon was low, but the variability was high across different types and brands of tampons.
Metal concentrations also varied considerably based on tampon characteristics, such as between non-organic and organic tampons, name brands versus store brands, and those bought in the UK or Europe versus those purchased in the US.
However, none of these categories had consistently low concentrations of all the metals.
Of concern was the presence of lead in all of the tampons tested in the study. Lead leaching into circulation can lead to its deposition in bones, which replaces calcium and can persist in the body for a long time.
Even low levels of lead are known to have a toxic impact on neurological health and behaviour, as well as on renal, reproductive, immunological, cardiovascular, and developmental health.
The study also discussed the toxic effects of the other metals detected in the tampon samples. The contamination of tampons with these metals can occur during the production stage, through atmospheric deposition, or wastewater when the raw materials are being produced.
It can also occur during the manufacturing process or through products added intentionally to the tampons for antimicrobial effect, lubrication, or odour control.
Limitations
The study focused on including a wide range of brands rather than multiple samples from a smaller number of brands. This approach was chosen to gain a more representative understanding of metal concentrations in tampons across the market. However, this strategy may limit the depth of analysis for each individual brand, potentially affecting the reliability of metal concentration data for specific products.
Additionally, due to the limited overlap in brands of tampons purchased from different locations, it is not possible to fully attribute any detected differences in metal concentrations specifically to geographic location rather than brand variation.
This limitation highlights the need for further studies with a more controlled sample set to better isolate the effects of location and brand on metal content in tampons.
Conclusions
Overall, the study reported that a wide range of tampons sold through online retailers or large retail chains in the US, UK, and Europe contain trace to significant amounts of 16 metals, most of which have toxic effects on the body.
Given that these metals can leach during use and be absorbed into the body through the vaginal epithelium and directly enter the circulatory system, further research is required to confirm these findings, post which strict manufacturing regulations are required for tampon production
This article does not name specific tampon brands containing metals because the original study, which it summarises, did not disclose this information. regulatory review.
Study details
Tampons as a source of exposure to metal(loid)s.
Jenni Shearston, Kristen Upson, Milo Gordon, Vivian Do, Olgica Balac, Khue Nguyen, Beizhan Yan, Marianthi-Anna Kioumourtzoglou, Kathrin Schilling.
Published in Environment International in August 2024 edition
Highlights
•16 metal(loid)s were evaluated in different kinds of tampons.
•Several toxic metals, including lead, were detected.
•Tampon use is a potential source of exposure to metals in menstruating people.
•The highest concentration was found for zinc (geometric mean = 52,000 ng/g)
•A geometric mean lead concentration of 120 ng/g was found in our samples.
Abstract
Background
Between 52%–86% of people who menstruate in the United States use tampons – cotton and/or rayon/viscose ‘plugs’ – to absorb menstrual blood in the vagina. Tampons may contain metals from agricultural or manufacturing processes, which could be absorbed by the vagina’s highly absorptive tissue, resulting in systemic exposure. To our knowledge, no previous studies have measured metals in tampons.
Objectives
We evaluated the concentrations of 16 metal(loid)s in 30 tampons from 14 tampon brands and 18 product lines and compared the concentrations by tampon characteristics.
Methods
About 0.2-0.3 g from each tampon (n = 60 samples) were microwave-acid digested and analysed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) to determine concentrations of arsenic, barium, calcium, cadmium, cobalt, chromium, copper, iron, manganese, mercury, nickel, lead, selenium, strontium, vanadium, and zinc. We compared concentrations by several tampon characteristics (region of purchase, organic material, brand type) using median quantile mixed models.
Results
We found measurable concentrations of all 16 metals assessed. We detected concentrations of several toxic metals, including elevated mean concentrations of lead (geometric mean [GM] = 120 ng/g), cadmium (GM = 6.74 ng/g), and arsenic (GM = 2.56 ng/g). Metal concentrations differed by region of tampon purchase (US versus European Union/United Kingdom), by organic versus non-organic material, and for store- versus name-brand tampons. Most metals differed by organic status; lead concentrations were higher in non-organic tampons while arsenic was higher in organic tampons. No category had consistently lower concentrations of all or most metals.
Discussion
Tampon use is a potential source of metal exposure. We detected all 16 metals in at least one sampled tampon, including some toxic metals like lead that has no “safe” exposure level. Future research is needed to replicate our findings and determine whether metals can leach out of tampons and cross the vaginal epithelium into systemic circulation.
Environmental International article – Tampons as a source of exposure to metal(loid)s (Open access)
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