Tampon Safety: New Study Sparks Debate

A recently published study on tampons has caused concern among consumers. The research, published in the journal Environment International, found evidence of 16 different metals in a wide range of tampons sold in the U.S. and Europe. Since the release of the study, women have been expressing their concerns about the findings on social media. One TikTok user commented: "So nice of them to let us know they found lead and arsenic in our tampons, 20 years after I had my first period." However, despite the alarming headlines, several experts, including one of the scientists who conducted the study, emphasize that there is no need to panic and that it is not necessary to immediately stop using tampons. The amounts of toxic chemicals detected in the tampons, including arsenic and lead, were very low. Two previous studies by the same research group showed no significantly higher blood levels of the metals in women who use tampons compared to those who do not use tampons. "These metals in small quantities are really found almost everywhere," said Dr. Bethany Samuelson Bannow, an associate professor of hematology at Oregon Health and Science University, who was not involved in the study. "Actually, I would be less concerned about these metals in tampons than about their presence in our food or water." What the study found: The researchers analyzed 30 tampons from 14 different brands for the metals arsenic, barium, calcium, cadmium, cobalt, chromium, copper, iron, manganese, mercury, nickel, lead, selenium, strontium, vanadium, and zinc.