Do metals found in tampons pose a health risk? A new FDA study provides an answer.
A new study from the FDA confirmed a 2024 report that tampons contain trace amounts of metals. But the FDA found that those metals don't get absorbed at levels high enough to cause concern.
A new study from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration detected heavy metals, including lead and arsenic, in popular tampon brands, but not enough to raise health concerns.
“While trace metals are present in tampons, the amount released during use is too small to cause harm,” the agency announced this week.
The Inquirer spoke with Robyn Faye, an OB-GYN at Jefferson Abington Hospital, about what prompted the FDA study, what women should know about it, and the latest trends in menstrual products.
What triggered worry about metals in tampons?
A 2024 study by UC Berkeley raised alarms after finding trace amounts of 16 metals — arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury, nickel — in more than a dozen different tampon unnamed brands.
The study found lead concentrations were higher in non-organic tampons, while arsenic was higher in organic tampons.
Tampons are made with cotton, rayon, or both. Researchers believe cotton can absorb metals from water, soil, or industrial contaminants near fields. Some metal might get added to tampons during manufacturing.
Metals have been linked to increased risk of dementia, cancer, kidney damage, and cardiovascular and neurological harm.
The UC study had a major shortcoming, however. It showed that metals exist inside raw tampon materials, but it did not test whether they leach out or get absorbed into the body, and if so, how much.
“Obviously, there was a concern about what the exposure would be to women using these tampons,” Faye said. “So they needed to look into the potential toxicological risk.”
What did the new FDA study find?
The FDA-led study, recently published in the journal Toxicological Sciences, tested 11 tampon products from six different brands sold in the United States. It did not name the brands, nor test any scented tampons.
The agency regulates tampons as “medical devices.”
While FDA scientists detected 19 metals at trace levels in tampons, they found “negligible toxicological concern.”
“The levels of metals released from tampons are not expected to result in adverse health effects,” the study concluded.
Scientists created a “worst-case” exposure, using a testing method that extracted as much metal out of the fibers as possible, under circumstances far more intensive than normal tampon use.
“They exaggerated the risk,” said Faye, who did not work on the study. “So the real-world exposure is probably even lower.”
The bottom line, she said, is tampons are safe to use.
What concerns do your patients have about tampons?
Faye said older women still worry about “toxic shock syndrome,” a rare bacterial infection caused from an open cut or vaginal wound. Many women still mistakenly believe it is a common risk from wearing a tampon too long.
Most younger patients, however, don’t use tampons.
They prefer reusable menstrual cups, special absorbent underwear, or insertable discs, because they are environmentally friendly.
“The trend in the younger women population is actually throwing out their tampons,” Faye said. “It’s interesting that the FDA is now doing a study on tampons when fewer girls are using them.”
