Heavy metals in tampons aren’t cause for concern, US regulators say

WASHINGTON – A new study from the US Food and Drug Administration confirmed the presence of heavy metals like arsenic and lead in several tampon brands, but the agency said they aren’t released at levels high enough to cause concern.

The FDA’s study, published in the journal Toxicological Sciences, was a follow-up to 2024 research that found more than a dozen metals in widely used tampons.

The agency said on July 6 that “while trace metals are present in tampons, the amount released during use is too small to cause harm.”

FDA researchers studied 11 different tampons from six different brands that weren’t named in the study.

They confirmed the presence of 19 metals in varying levels depending on the product. 

It’s possible the metals were absorbed from the soil by the natural materials used to make the menstruation products or unintentionally added in manufacturing, according to the study.

Titanium dioxide used to whiten tampons may also be a contributing factor to titanium being found, the researchers said.

Tampons are made with cotton, rayon or a combination of the two.

The FDA found that products made mostly from rayon had higher levels of lithium and zinc, while those that contained more cotton had higher concentrations of calcium and iron.

Tampons are regulated as medical devices by the FDA.

In October, the agency proposed guidelines for companies that make tampons that included evaluating products for contamination. BLOOMBERG