Lead, Arsenic & Cadmium (in Tampons)
Heavy-metal contaminants
What it is
Toxic metals that plants take up from soil and that can persist in cotton and rayon fiber. In 2024 a peer-reviewed study measured them in tampons for the first time, and found them everywhere it looked.
In this product: None. Contaminants of the raw fiber, not added ingredients.
Dose & route, what actually matters
Lead has no known safe level, which is why universal detection matters even at low concentration. The unresolved piece is bioavailability: how much of a metal bound in fiber actually crosses the vaginal wall. The FDA started lab testing that exact question in 2024; detection is not the same as absorbed dose, and we say so.
EUROPEAN UNION
No EU limit for metals in menstrual products.
UNITED STATES
No US regulatory limit. The FDA began an independent literature review and lab study of metal release from tampons in 2024.
The evidence
A 2024 peer-reviewed study (Environment International) measured lead, arsenic, and cadmium in all 30 tampon brands tested, spanning US and EU products, organic and conventional, with no regulatory limits in place.
human · 2024 · source
In response, the FDA launched a literature review and internal laboratory study of metal release from tampons; as of late 2024 it reported no clear evidence of health risk but acknowledged major research gaps, with testing ongoing.
regulatory · 2024 · source
California Prop 65: Lead, arsenic, and cadmium are each listed under California Prop 65.
How to avoid it
There is no clean fix yet, organic cotton was not metal-free in the study. The realistic moves are using the lowest absorbency for the shortest time and, if you want to reduce vaginal exposure specifically, choosing pads or period underwear over internal products while the bioavailability question is studied.
Editorial analysis of publicly available regulatory and peer-reviewed sources. Not medical advice. We name our evidence and link it, including when an ingredient is fine.