You must be glad you aren't a woman

If you don't live under a rock, you probably know about the study released by Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and UC Berkeley on July 3rd 2024 that shockingly revealed toxic metals like Lead, Arsenic, and Cadmium in the testing of 30 tampons from 14 different brands sold in the U.S., U.K. and Greece. ALL of the tampons tested came back positive for these metals.

What's almost scarier than that is how mainstream media is handling the situation... CBC News says there are "Only small traces" of metal in tampons. Would you say that lead levels that are 10 times higher than the maximum levels currently allowed in drinking water is small? I definitely don't. But women are being told "Don't panic, don't be erratic or over dramatic" as women have always been told when it comes to healthcare.

This is the first study into chemicals, metals or potential hazards in feminine hygiene products. Tampons were created 93 years ago. Why did it take almost a century for an actual medical study to be conducted?

Why is this dangerous?

Aside from obvious facts like how Lead and Arsenic are literally poisonous, the fact that these products are making contact with the internal vaginal lining makes this situation even more dangerous.

The vaginal lining is an especially permeable mucus membrane. A high concentration of blood vessels and tiny folds that add surface area mean that the vagina is much more absorbent than skin elsewhere on the body. This means that these toxic metals are being sent right into the bloodstream... This is why doctors have prescribed medications such as estrogen creams that are applied internally- using the vagina as a route for systemic drug delivery.

If a toxic metal were ingested orally, it would reach your liver much faster via the hepatic portal vein. The liver then metabolizes these substances to some extent. Since the metals found in tampons are being absorbed right into the bloodstream, it takes much longer to reach the liver and therefore can cause more damage to your body.

Meet the CEO's

So who are the faces behind these brands? Who makes judgement calls when it comes to your feminine hygiene needs? Surely a woman who can understand the menstrual cycle right? WRONG.

Meet David Taylor, Mark Lavigne and Michael Hsu. These Men are in charge of your most "Trusted" brands of Feminine Hygiene products: Tampax, Always, Playtex, and U by Kotex. Not ONE of these men or the companies they represent (P&G, Energizer Holdings and Kimberly-Clark) has made a statement since this study has come out. These are male dominated businesses calling the shots on what a woman is unknowingly putting into her body! P&G's board of directors has more than twice as many men as it does women (Source: The Wall Street Journal)

These manufacturers are not currently required to test their products for metals or chemical contaminants and every year, an estimated 45 billion menstrual products are used worldwide.

The Tampon Safety and Research Act of 1997 was never passed

The Robin Danielson Feminine Hygiene Product Safety Act of 2019 Was never passed

So what is safe?

At this point in time there are no resources available on what tampon brands are free from toxic metals. Even brands labelled as organic contain Lead and even higher levels of Arsenic than regular tampons. There have been no studies so far on weather or not these metals contribute to TSS (toxic shock syndrome) in women who use tampons. The best alternative for the time being seems to be menstrual cups, period underwear and pads (however there have been no studies on weather these toxic metals are also present in pads). The hope going forward is ongoing studies into women's health products and higher accountability when it comes to the brands that make them.