Communicating risk in the face of data gaps: Toxic metals in tampons

Abstract

A recent correspondence (Öberg, 2024) about our manuscript, Tampons as a source of exposure to metal(loid)s (Shearston et al., 2024), highlights the importance of data for complete risk assessment and public health communication when data gaps exist. Our study, which measured the concentration of 16 metals in tampons, detected the toxic metals lead (Pb), arsenic (As), and cadmium (Cd). Our study was the first of its kind, and we found the ubiquitous presence of most of the metals we tested for in our tampon samples. We concluded that tampon use is a potential source of exposure to metals for people who menstruate, and highlighted the need for future studies to assess the bioaccessibility of these metals in tampons and their potential impacts on health (Shearston et al., 2024). None of the metals we measured was included in the ingredients packaging list of any of the tampons we tested. We shared our findings in a press release to inform the public, and, to avoid causing unnecessary alarm, emphasized the need for further research to fully characterize the potential exposure and health implications of metals in tampons.