Arsenic, lead and mercury aren’t the kind of metals you want anywhere near your body, let alone inside you. But according to a new study by researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, these toxic metals could be lurking inside tampons sold across the US, UK and EU.

The study, which was published earlier this week, evaluated the levels of 16 different metals in 30 tampons across 14 different brands. While the quantity of metal in each tampon varied depending on where the tampons were being sold (US v EU/UK), whether they were organic and the brand that produced them (store v named brand), the researchers found that metals were present in all types of tampons. In fact, no category had a consistently lower concentration of all or most metals: while lead concentrations were higher in non-organic tampons, arsenic was higher in organic tampons. 

The results of the study are particularly concerning because the vaginal wall is a highly permeable area of the body, meaning it is easy for compounds that come into contact with this area to pass into the bloodstream. That’s a problem because metal absorption has been linked with an increased risk of cancer, dementia and nervous and endocrine system disruption.

“Despite this large potential for public health concern, very little research has been done to measure chemicals in tampons,” says Jenni A. Shearston, the study’s lead author and a postdoctoral scholar at the UC Berkeley School of Public Health and UC Berkeley’s Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management. “To our knowledge, this is the first paper to measure metals in tampons.” 

Because this is the first study to measure the presence of metals in tampons, more research is needed to discern whether the levels of metal found in tampons can lead to adverse health effects and whether tampon usage can result in any of the health conditions linked to metal absorption.

It’s for this reason that experts say it’s important to look at these findings from a balanced perspective. “It is completely understandable that women may feel anxious upon hearing about the presence of arsenic in tampons, but as these findings are so new, we do not yet know whether the levels of arsenic and other metals found are high enough to imply a significant health risk,” says Dr Amit Shah, a leading gynaecologist and co-founder of the reproductive clinic Fertility Plus. “It’s worth noting, for example, that we are exposed to trace amounts of various metals in our everyday lives through food, water and air, and the body has mechanisms to handle and eliminate small amounts of these substances.”

However, that doesn’t mean the results aren’t cause for concern. Indeed, says Shah, there’s a high chance that manufacturers and regulatory bodies are likely already looking into these findings, and that we’ll see future research into the long-term effects of the identified metals.  

The study should also serve as a warning for the way we design, test and produce menstrual products, adds Dr Vijay Murthy, a functional medicine doctor at co-founder of the Murthy Health clinic.

“This study serves as a call to action for further research and regulation in women’s health products, potentially leading to greater transparency and safety in the future,” he says. “It’s important to remember that while studies on tampons are only just beginning, this finding underscores a broader issue of potential toxic exposure from menstrual products.”

Shearston agrees and hopes this study could be the start of greater regulation of the menstrual product industry. “I really hope that manufacturers are required to test their products for metals, especially for toxic metals,” she says. “It would be exciting to see the public call for this or ask for better labelling on tampons and other menstrual products.”

For the moment, however, we need to make educated decisions about the products we use. While we can’t say that using tampons containing these metals will impact your health, many women are understandably on the hunt for products that mitigate this risk, such as menstrual cups made out of medical-grade silicone, reusable cloth pads or period underwear.  

Images: Getty