United States –The U. S. Food and Drug Administration said on Tuesday that it is to start an investigation into any possible impact of toxic metals identified in tampons, as reported by HealthDay.
Study Identifies Metals in Tampons
The announcement came after a study in July identified lead and other metals in 30 tampons from 14 brands bought from leading online stores and physical shops in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Greece. This was a study carried out by a group of researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, and appeared in the Environmental International magazine.
“The FDA is aware of concerns about tampon safety after a 2024 study found metals in tampons during laboratory testing,” the agency said in its announcement.
The agency insisted that tampons are subjected to safety and effectiveness tests before they are sold in stores but stated that the current data and its laboratory examination carried out about the issue should shed light on the findings by the UC Berkeley study.
FDA’s Response
“While the study found metals in some tampons, the study did not test whether metals are released from tampons when used,” the FDA noted. “It also did not test for metals being released, absorbed into the vaginal lining, and getting into the bloodstream during tampon use.”
“The FDA’s laboratory study will measure the amount of metals that come out of tampons under conditions that more closely mimic normal use,” the agency added. “These initiatives will enable the FDA to complete a risk assessment of metals contained in tampons, based on a worst-case scenario of metal exposure.”
No specific time frame for the study and publishing of the findings has been provided.
The UC Berkeley study was conducted by Jenni Shearston, a postdoctoral scholar at the university’s School of Public Health. Her team investigated whether commercially available tampons contain concentrations of arsenic, barium, calcium, cadmium, coerc, cobalt, chromium, copper, iron, manganese, mercury, nickel, lead, selenium, strontium, vanadium, and zinc.
Metal compilation: Various metals were observed in the products, and in one specific product, all of the 16 types were identified by the team.
Next Steps and Future Regulations
Non-organic tampons contained less lead and higher levels of arsenic compared to organic tampons. It also established that products produced in the United States contained higher levels of lead than those marketed in Europe, as reported by HealthDay.
“Our findings point towards the need for regulations requiring the testing of metals in tampons by manufacturers,” the researchers wrote.