Report on toxic metals in tampons draws attention to regulation of period products

A recent report on toxic metals in tampons is drawing new attention to the regulation, or lack thereof, of menstrual care products. Researchers found “measurable” but low concentrations of lead, arsenic and more than a dozen other metals in all the tampons they tested.

The Food and Drug Administration, which regulates period products, said it’s reviewing the study and will take any needed action to safeguard consumers.

There need to be more stringent rules for menstrual products and the businesses that make them, argued Bobbi Wilding of the advocacy group Clean and Healthy in New York.

“Companies have to show that they don’t cause problems like bacterial growth or changes in the mucus in the vagina,” she said, “but there are no requirements at the FDA level that limit the kind of chemicals that can be present in menstrual products directly.”

Wilding points out several states have already taken action to increase regulations in this area.