A recent study found concentrations of 16 metals in 30 different types of tampons. There may be no need for immediate panic—but consumers have every right to be angry.
Periods are headline news—from the viral veep moniker “Tampon Tim” to a series of articles calling out rising prices of menstrual products and warning of toxic metals found in name brand tampons.
On the safety front, a study published this summer by Elsevier found concentrations of 16 metals, lead and arsenic among them, assessed in 30 different varieties of tampons. In response, consumers and influencers flocked to social media to share outrage and fear. One TikTok user posted, “Not only do women have to pay a lot of women for our sanitary products, but companies even put toxic metals in their tampons? And on top of that they won’t reveal the brands they tested for the study? This situation really proves that this is a man’s world.”
Adding to the confusion, several doctors have also taken to the airwaves to attempt to reassure the public and offer perspective.
- Dr. Jennifer Lincoln explained to her 2.8 million TikTok followers that the levels of lead found in tampons (0.12 micrograms per liter) are relatively low—as compared to the maximum amount of lead that can be in food (0.5 micrograms per liter) and water (5 micrograms per liter).
- Dr. Jenni Shearston, the lead scholar of the study, told NPR, “Just because we’re finding lead in the tampons does not mean that the lead can come out of the tampons, so we don’t yet know if it can be absorbed by the body or if it can be contributing to any health effects.”
The most crucial unanswered question is whether the metals in tampons can be absorbed into the body through the vagina; researchers have yet to investigate whether trace amounts of toxins can leach into the body and to what extent.
Although there may be no need for immediate panic, consumers have every right to be angry. Where is corporate responsibility? Why so little transparency? How can the government step in?
The FDA currently classifies tampons as a Class II medical device, meaning it poses a moderate risk to users. What does that translate to in practice? Manufacturers are obligated to submit a description of the product, conduct a risk assessment, and undergo safety elevations. However, the FDA does not require tampons to be free of pesticides and toxic chemicals like TCCD and TCDF; rather, they leave it up to manufacturers to inform consumers about the possible risks.
In order for consumers to have the most transparent and accurate information about the chemicals and toxins that tampons contain, tampons should be elevated to Class III medical devices. This would ensure that tampons would have the more significant regulatory requirements, including a premarket approval which ensures the safety and effectiveness of the device.
Another solution would be to allocate more resources towards studying menstrual health and tampon usage. Today, the National Institute of Health’s (NIH) financial commitment to women’s health is paltry at best: With a budget of approximately $48 billion, the allocation for women’s research is only $4.6 billion or 10 percent of its entire budget—even though women are more than half the population.
If the NIH expects to live up to its goal of “Research for the People,” it must provide equitable funding and increase its commitment to study women’s health and diseases that disproportionately affect women.
There is hope on the horizon: In President Biden’s 2024 State of the Union address, he urged Congress to make a $12 billion investment for women’s health research, followed by an executive order creating the Women’s Health Research Initiative to close crucial knowledge gaps in women’s health. Funding from this initiative should go toward collecting and synthesizing data on toxins in tampons and how they affect women’s bodies.
While conservatives make juvenile jokes about tampons against VP candidate Tim Walz, the research still needed on their safety is not a laughing matter. What is really needed is government commitment to a future where women’s health and menstrual products are safe, transparently marketed, and supported by robust scientific findings.
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