What women need to know about heavy metals in tampons | Lifestyle [Video]

Tampon users have taken to TikTok to show themselves throwing their unused products straight into the trash. The panic stems from new research that found traces of toxic metals, including lead and arsenic, in a number of tampons.

The types of metals found varied somewhat across different brands, but one important finding was that even tampons labeled as “organic” contained traces of these contaminants, particularly arsenic.

The study didn’t name the brands, but researchers found the toxic metals in over a dozen popular brands of tampons, including some European brands.

Lead exposure can result in serious health problems, such as high blood pressure and reproductive health issues. Arsenic is a known carcinogen and has been associated with an increased risk of multiple cancers.

Doctor Sasha Hernandez from NYU Langone Health says there is an important caveat to the study.

“The vagina tissue is different from other tissue and it’s more absorptive but this …