Are tampons toxic? Here’s what you need to know

A new study has found traces of toxic metals in tampons. But what does this research really tell us about one of the most popular menstrual products on the planet?

The tax on and cost of period products are a constant source of debate.

The small study – involving a total of zero human participants – sent the internet into a tailspin about “death stick” tampons last week, revealing the ease with which hysteria can fill the vacuum left by a dearth of research into women’s reproductive health.

What is the toxic tampon study?

Researchers, led by scientists at Columbia University, bought 30 tampons from 14 brands with a range of absorbency, including seven marketed as “organic”, from the US, England and Greece.

They tested the tampons for 16 different substances: arsenic, barium, calcium, cadmium, cobalt, chromium, copper, iron, manganese, mercury, nickel, lead, selenium, strontium, vanadium and zinc.

Samples of the tampons were dissolved in acid and microwaved so that only trace metals remained. Then they were analysed using a technology called inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) which is capable of detecting tiny amounts of elements. We’re talking nanograms – or one billionth of a gram – per gram (ng/g).

What did the study say? Are there dangerous metals in tampons?

The study found all 16 metals and metalloids in the tampons. Every type of tampon contained the metals that pose a hazard to human health: lead, arsenic and cadmium.

How much of each toxic metal did the study detect?

• Lead 120ng/g
• Cadmium 6.74 ng/g
• Arsenic 2.56 ng/g

“There is no safe exposure level to Pb [the chemical symbol for lead],” the study said. “Any proportion of Pb that may leach out of a tampon and reach systemic circulation might contribute to negative health outcomes.”

But let’s take a closer look at this …

Will the toxic metals in tampons make you sick?

There are two things we need to consider here: how much of these toxic metals were detected in the tampons and are they absorbed into the body at levels that would be harmful?

“While there is no safe level of lead, it is ubiquitous in the environment, and it’s impossible to have zero intake,” said Dr Ian Musgrave, a senior lecturer in pharmacology at the University of Adelaide.

You’d find similar levels of metals and metalloids in kale. Tea and rice have higher concentrations of arsenic.

If a 60 kilogram person could absorb all the metals detected in the tampons, they’d still be between 1000 and 500 times below Australia’s maximum allowable intake of these metals.

“Tampons weigh, on average, 1 gram. If all the lead in the tampon were absorbed at once it would still be 1000 times below the allowable daily intake for a 60 kilogram person. Even for lower-weight people it is still well below the allowable daily intake,” Musgrave said.

And that is even if we assume that all the metal in the tampon can get into the body, which is a big assumption, based on this study.

“The idea that people would think that dissolving a tampon in nitric acid and then heating it to 180 degrees Celsius for over an hour in any way replicates the human body would be laughable if it hadn’t gone so viral,” said Dr Jennifer Gunter, a Canadian gynaecologist and world-renowned author who has dedicated her career to debunking misinformation about the female reproductive system.

Musgrave agreed: “The tampon metals were extracted by microwave-assisted acid digestion, which, to put it mildly, does not represent the conditions in the vagina.”

Can toxic metals from tampons get into the body?

RMIT Chemistry Professor Oliver Jones, who conducts research in environmental toxicology, said the study tells us “we detected these metalloids”, but it doesn’t tell us what the risk to health is, or even whether they can be absorbed from tampons into the body.

The authors did not do extraction tests, so we don’t know how much lead is locked in the fibres of the tampons and how much is outside the fibres.

“Cotton and other natural fibres will absorb some metals from the soil they grow in, but they won’t readily diffuse into the environment,” Musgrave said. In other words, a lot of the lead in the tampons would be trapped in there.

The lead would then need to be absorbed, and there is woefully little information about the efficiency of metal absorption through the vaginal wall. This is something the study authors are investigating next.

They point out that the vagina is capable of absorbing medications, such as propranolol and misoprostol, and that vaginally absorbed chemicals directly enter the bloodstream, bypassing the liver for detoxification.

Still, Musgrave said absorption through the gut, “specialised for absorbing things”, is only 4 per cent.

“So it is extremely unlikely that anything like the full 120 nanograms [of lead] would be absorbed.”

How worried should we be?

“Nothing here is panic-worthy,” Gunter said.

The bottom line for Jones is that there is no evidence that these tampons cause harm.

“I don’t think people should worry about this,” he said.

Musgrave agreed. “The amount of toxic metals in tampons will not be a hazard to human health,” he said.

If it’s not a risk, why are we talking about it?

Because scaring women about their bodies is profitable, Gunter said.

“Self-styled alternative medicine doctors and naturopaths, menstrual influencers are claiming ‘look, this is proof that tampons are toxic death sticks’. Then these same people pushing unregulated supplements that may very well be unsafe and contaminated with much higher concentrations of lead.”

Dr Tessa Copp, a postdoctoral research fellow in women’s reproductive healthcare at the University of Sydney, said it was understandable the findings raised concerns.

“The historical neglect of women’s health issues in medical research and chronic underfunding has caused a growing distrust about the safety of women’s products and treatment,” said Copp.

“In the absence of evidence, we have misinformation, half-truths and commercial interests filling the void.

“We need governments and regulatory bodies to look more closely at these commercial manufacturers, better safety standards and rigorous testing, because everyone deserves good menstrual health.”

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