September 11, 2024 – The FDA has opened an investigation into possible heavy metal contamination from tampon use, the agency announced Tuesday.
The move follows the discharge of troubling laboratory test results earlier this 12 months that found the presence of greater than a dozen metals in a wide range of popular inorganic and organic tampon products. This small study was a collaborative effort between researchers at Columbia University, Michigan State University and the University of California, Berkeley.
“We want the public to know that before tampons can be legally sold in the United States, they must meet FDA requirements for safety and effectiveness. Manufacturers must test the product and its component materials before, during and after manufacturing,” the FDA wrote within the study notice his own upcoming study. “Before a product is brought to market, the manufacturing company conducts biocompatibility testing, which is part of the safety testing and is reviewed by the FDA before market approval.”
There shall be two studies, the FDA said. One of the studies will include laboratory testing to guage metals in tampons and the potential exposure people may face when using these tampons. The other study is a review of current research on the health effects of metals that could be contained in tampons.
The earlier study was published by the journal in June Environment International, found levels of lead and detectable levels of greater than a dozen other metals, comparable to arsenic and cadmium, in every product the researchers tested.
The researchers tested 24 tampon products from various major brands in addition to store brands. The tampons were purchased in stores and online between September 2022 and March 2023. Metal content tended to differ depending on whether a product was labeled organic or not, the researchers reported. Lead concentrations were higher in inorganic tampons and arsenic levels were higher in organic tampons.
There isn’t any protected level of lead exposure US Environmental Protection Agency says, and the results accumulate over a lifetime. The study authors found that the common age at which girls begin menstruating is 12 years old, and menopause occurs at a median age of 51 years. A study mentioned by the researchers estimated that between 52% and 86% of people that menstruate use tampons.
The FDA is planning a more extensive series of analyzes than the previous study, the agency announced.
“While the study found metals in some tampons, the study did not test whether metals were released from tampons during use. “It has also not been tested whether metals are released during tampon use, absorbed into the vaginal mucosa, and enter the bloodstream,” the FDA notice said. “The FDA's laboratory study will measure the amount of metals that leach from tampons under conditions more similar to normal use.”
The absorbent materials in tampons comparable to cotton, viscose and viscose are potential sources of the metals. Cotton plants are particularly known to readily absorb metals from the soil, although metals may enter products in other ways, comparable to throughout the manufacturing process.
Exposure to metals present in the initial evaluation can affect various body systems and processes, including the brain, kidneys, heart, blood, and reproductive and immune systems.
The researchers found that the vagina could be very permeable and substances absorbed there aren’t filtered for toxins, comparable to through metabolism or passage through the liver before entering the body's circulatory system.
The FDA's announcement didn’t provide a timeframe for the completion of its investigation.