The US Food and Drug Administration announced Tuesday that it will examine the potential harm to women of heavy metals such as lead and arsenic found in tampons.
The US Food and Drug Administration announced it will examine the potential harm to women of heavy metals such as lead and arsenic found in tampons.
"We want the public to know that before tampons can be legally sold in the U.S., they must meet FDA requirements for safety and effectiveness," the statement says. "Manufacturers must test the product and its component materials before, during, and after manufacturing. Researchers ran tests for 16 heavy metals: arsenic, barium, calcium, cadmium, cobalt, chromium, copper, iron, manganese, mercury, nickel, lead, selenium, strontium, vanadium and zinc, according to senior study author Kathrin Schilling, assistant professor of environmental health sciences at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health in New York City.
"It's important to note that arsenic shouldn't be present in tampons at all, and we don't yet understand the effects of vaginal exposure since it hasn't been studied," she said. "There is no safe level of lead exposure, and it has been shown to cause reproductive health issues in women." "However, there is no reason for people to be afraid to use menstrual products at this time," Pollack added. "I would just be aware of the issue and monitor any research that develops."
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