Traces of arsenic and lead found in tampons — but potential health impacts unclear, U.S. study says

A new study out of the University of California, Berkeley has found small traces of arsenic, lead and other toxic metals in multiple brands of tampons.

The study, described by its authors as the first of its kind, was published last week in the scientific journal Environment International.

Researchers studied 30 tampons from 14 different brands sold in the U.S., U.K. and Greece and found limited amounts of lead in all types of the tampons. They ran tests for 16 types of metals: arsenic, barium, calcium, cadmium, cobalt, chromium, copper, iron, manganese, mercury, nickel, lead, selenium, strontium, vanadium and zinc.

“We detected all 16 metals in at least one sampled tampon, including some toxic metals like lead that has no ‘safe’ exposure level,” the researchers wrote.

However, they cautioned that tampon use is only a “potential source of metal exposure,” and more research is needed to assess any possible dangers. Researchers did not determine whether the metals can leach into a person’s bloodstream and impact health.

“Future research is needed to replicate our findings.”

The study’s lead author, Jenni A. Shearston, postdoctoral scholar at the UC Berkeley School of Public Health, said the findings were surprising.

“We were expecting to find some metals present in tampons, because metals are everywhere in the environment, but we weren’t expecting to find lead in 100 per cent of the tampons we tested,” she told CBC Radio’s Up to Speed program this week.

Lead concentrations were higher in non-organic tampons, but arsenic was higher in organic tampons, she added.

The average tampon they tested contained about 25 per cent of the lead present in a typical U.S. cigarette, Shearston said.

Skin lining vagina ‘highly permeable’ 

The findings may be concerning because the skin of the vagina has a higher potential for absorbing chemicals into the bloodstream than skin in other parts of the body, the researchers said.

“Research has shown there’s no safe level of exposure to lead, so it’s really important we study this,” Shearston said, adding that in high enough concentrations, it can cause neurological damage.

She also said, however, that it’s too soon to say whether people who use the menstruation products should be concerned.

“Right now, all we’ve done is show that there are these metals present in the tampons, but what we don’t know is whether or not the metals can come out of the tampon and get into the body. Until we know that, we can’t really speculate about any potential health effects.”

Tampons are usually made from cotton, rayon — a semi-synthetic material derived from purified wood pulp — or a mix of both.

The study said the metals could have come from the soil in which the cotton is grown. Tampons may also be contaminated with metals from water during the manufacturing process. 

The findings did not identify the brands that were tested.

Manufacturers urged to test for metals

Shearston’s team said the findings point to the need for regulations requiring the testing of metals in tampons by manufacturers.

“Manufacturers may also add metals during production for product whitening, antimicrobial purposes, odour reduction, lubrication, and as pigments in applicators,” the study said.

Shruthi Magalingaiah is an assistant professor of environmental, reproductive and women’s health at Harvard University who was not involved with the study. She said it’s difficult to determine whether these products pose dangers to the people using them, and more studies regarding absorption are needed.

Magalingaiah said if any chemicals are absorbed into the body from a tampon, that’s less likely to happen on days with full menstrual flow, compared to days with low or no flow.

She said absorption would be greater when someone has a thinner vaginal mucosa, as in the case during perimenopause and menopause.

People exercising caution based on the findings of the study, “should consider using tampons during days of higher menstrual flow, and avoid having a tampon in for days when they are concerned about the potential of flow and are not actively menstruating or having bleeding,” Magalingaiah told CBC News via email. 

Health Canada, in an email to CBC News on Friday, said it’s aware of the study, and “its findings are being assessed. The department said it will “take action if warranted.”