2024-07-17 12:29:16
IAnalysis by US researchers found low levels of heavy metals in many types of tampons. According to the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) but not to be expected. The institute reports that elements, including arsenic, cadmium and lead, are found only in small amounts.
Even if all the metal particles contained were completely absorbed by the mucous membrane – which is an unlikely scenario – the exposure would be negligible if you compare it with background exposure from food, drinking water, dust building, traffic and industry.
“The results of the study are not a reason to avoid tampons,” stressed toxicologist Andrea Hartwig from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (kit). Elements like lead and arsenic are found basically everywhere, so finding them in things or food is not unusual. Even in the worst case of complete intake, the amounts found will be a fraction of what is consumed daily through food alone.
The team around Jenni Shearston and Kathrin Schilling from the Columbia University in New York tested 30 tampons from 14 tampon brands – so the number of products tested is very small. Three of the tampon products were apparently bought in European countries. Findings include arsenic, cadmium, chromium, mercury and lead. Each of the 16 metals analyzed can be found in at least one tampon sample, as the team reported in the current issue of the journal “Environment International”. reported. The concentrations vary significantly depending on the region, application and brand.
In the EU, the levels of lead, cadmium, chromium and arsenic in textiles must be below one milligram per kilogram, according to the study. The tampons were therefore all below this value. However, tampons come into contact with the mucous membrane, through which more of these substances can be absorbed.
Calcium and zinc, which have been found in relatively high concentrations, are deliberately added to tampons – for odor control, as lubricants and as antimicrobial agents. “This may explain why they are found in such high concentrations,” the research team explained.
It is unclear whether there are effects
It is worrying that toxic metals such as arsenic and lead can be found in tampons, explained Shearston and colleagues. However, they themselves point out that it is unclear whether metals are released from tampons during use – and enter the bloodstream through the epithelial lining. At the moment it is not possible to say whether the metals found may contribute to negative health effects.
In the case of cotton material, for example, metals may have been absorbed into the plants from the soil, as the Shearston team explained. Another source is manufacturing processes. The research team believes that it is necessary for manufacturers to test tampons specifically for toxic metals in the future.
Karlsruhe toxicologist Hartwig believes that this request makes sense: It should also be mandatory for manufacturers of other consumer products and cleaning products to check the heavy metal content of their products. The BfR states that the share of heavy metals should generally continue to be reduced through responsible raw material selection and good manufacturing practices. Especially with lead, the concentration should be as low as possible.
The main entry point for heavy metals is the mucous membranes of the stomach. They also get through the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract, for example from cigarette smoke. Long-term, chronic exposure to heavy metals in particular can lead to health problems. In the case of lead and mercury, this can cause nerve damage and cadmium can cause kidney and bone damage.
Heavy metals are found in rocks in the earth’s crust and can find their way into crops and other foods as a result of natural weathering processes. They also end up in the environment through certain industrial processes, car traffic, the spread of sewage sludge and the use of certain pesticides, according to the Federal Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL).
Heavy metals accumulate in plants or animal organs. According to BVL, the highest cadmium concentrations are often found in vegetables, edible mushrooms and in the place of slaughtered animals. Naturally occurring mercury is found mainly in fish and meats.
In the past few decades, general metal corrosion has already declined significantly, says KIT expert Hartwig, especially in the case of lead due to the ban on lead in gasoline. However, since no amount for lead and arsenic in particular can be classified as safe, it makes sense to further reduce exposure in all areas as much as possible.
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