Researchers find toxic metals in tampons: Why doctors say not to panic
Tampons are used by millions of women every day and are generally considered harmless. But ongoing research is raising safety questions.
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A scientific study is raising some safety concerns after researchers discovered toxic metals in some of the world's leading menstrual products.
Tampons are used by millions of women every day and are generally considered harmless. But ongoing research is raising some safety questions.
"It's certainly very interesting to know that things that could be dangerous, especially in large amounts, are right there in products all around us that we use every day," said Dr. Greg Marchand, who runs the not-for-profit Marchand Institute for Minimally Invasive Surgery.
Doctors say they have been screening calls from worried patients after a team of scientists tested 30 tampons from 14 of the most popular brands and found they all contained varying degrees of toxic metals - including lead, arsenic and cadmium.
But Marchand says women do not need to panic.
"The good news is the amount of these metals that they found in the tampons was extremely small. It was approximately equivalent to the amount of metals you'd find in soil," he says.
Still, given the fact that the average woman uses about 11,000 menstrual products in her lifetime, the study published in the scientific journal, Environment International, has some women nervous.
Here are some steps to take:
Avoid using tampons at night or for longer than eight hours, which is also the advice the FDA provides to avoid Toxic Shock Syndrome.
Consider using pads or menstrual cups.
It's also worth pointing out that the study showed organic tampons had slightly lower levels of heavy metals.
"It's probably because the soil and the fertilizing agents that they use were probably a little different than the ones that are used for just regular grown cotton," said Dr. Marchand.
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