A study revealed that tampons contain arsenic and lead
One of the most commonly used methods during menstruation is Tampons of different brands. A study led by a UC Berkeley researcher is leading measure the concentration of toxic metals Worrying levels are being found in these products Arsenic, lead and cadmium.
read this also
50% to 80% of women use tampons for several hours at a time during your period. Search toxic metals In Tampons It is worrying that Vaginal skin have more capacity Absorption of chemicals Compared to the skin of other parts of the body.
learning outcome
Although The modern tampon came from osteopathic doctor Earl Haas in 1929. And in spite of that Potential risk to public healthVery little research has been done so far to measure this Chemical Substances Present in tampons.
“As far as we know, this is the first article Measures metals in tampons. It is worrying that we have found concentrations of all Metals that we analyze, including metals toxic In form of Arsenic And this lead,said lead author Jenny A. Shearston.
it turns out that Metals increase the risk of suffering Infertility, diabetes, dementia and cancer. In addition, they can cause harm Damages maternal health, foetal development, liver, kidney, brain, heart, nervous and endocrine systems.
In this regard, study co-author Katherine Schilling said that “Our study clearly shows that Metals are also present in menstrual products And women can have something even bigger than that Risk of exposure when using these products,
read this also
What was assessed in the study?
Researchers evaluated 30 tampons from 14 different brands with 16 levels of metals: arsenic, calcium, barium, cadmium, cobalt, chromium, copper, manganese, iron, mercury, nickel, lead, selenium, strontium, vanadium and zinc.
While the concentrations of these metals depend on where they were purchased (US vs. EEU/UK), whether they were organic or not, and whether they were branded or off-brand, found that all types of tampons contained metals.
First study shows tampons contain arsenic and lead, among other components
concentrations of lead were higher in Non-organic tampons And this Arsenic was higher in organic tampons,
“I really hope that manufacturers will be forced to test their products for the presence of metals, especially toxic metals.”Shearston said.
According to the study, Metals can get into tampons in several ways.
contents of Cotton Metals can be absorbed from the air, water, soil, or through nearby pollutants, or May be intentionally added during manufacture as part of a bleach, pigment, or antibacterial agent,
At this time, it is unclear whether the metals found in this study contribute to any negative health effects. This will be verified in future research How many of these metals can be released from the presence of tampons and other chemicals.
“It would be exciting to see the public demand this or see improvements in the labeling of tampons and other menstrual products”Shearston insisted.
This information does not in any case replace a diagnosis or prescription by a doctor. In case of illness, it is important to visit a specialist if symptoms appear and never self-medicate.