Investigating links between heavy metals in menstrual hygiene products and reproductive hormonal health

Overview

Nic Corcrain’s research poster reports a small C-tier menstrual-product leaching experiment and a participant survey. The occurrence-relevant result is that tampons released lead into synthetic vaginal fluid at 0.66-6.35 ppb, while menstrual cups were reported as <1 ppb. Arsenic was targeted, but the poster says arsenic detection was compromised by background contamination, so no arsenic occurrence value is recorded.

Key numbers

• Product testing: four menstrual products were incubated in synthetic vaginal fluid and analyzed for lead (Pb) and arsenic (As) leaching at 3, 5, and 7 hours using ICP-MS.
• Lead leaching: the poster states that tampons released substantially more lead (0.66-6.35 ppb) than menstrual cups (<1 ppb), with levels plateauing over time.
• Arsenic: the ICP-MS procedure showed high precision and sensitivity for lead, but arsenic detection was “compromised by background contamination”; no arsenic concentration is therefore usable as occurrence evidence.
• Physical observations: all menstrual products dissolved cleanly in simulated vaginal fluid, maintaining stable pH with no visible precipitates except faint cloudiness in one tampon replicate.
• Survey frame: 147 participants were surveyed; the visible age-group table lists 101 respondents aged 18-24, 22 aged 25-34, 2 aged 35-44, and 4 aged 45-55, which sums to 129, so the table appears to be a displayed subset or incomplete rendering relative to the poster’s 147 text.
• Symptom survey context: symptom burden was higher among tampon users (M = 5.1) than pad users (M = 4.3) and period-underwear users (M = 3.2); this is survey context, not product occurrence data.
• Diagnosis-likelihood context: the poster states that when tampon use was combined with early menarche, diagnosis likelihood rose to 64%; this is not used as a product concentration value.

Methods (brief)

The poster reports two approaches: a survey of menstruating individuals ages 18-55 across multiple countries, and laboratory incubation of four menstrual products in synthetic vaginal fluid. Lead and arsenic were analyzed by ICP-MS at 3, 5, and 7 hours. The poster references an unpublished undergraduate research report for the laboratory results.

Related evidence

• Menstrual tampons (scented/unscented; applicator tested as distinct component)
• Menstrual cups (silicone/latex/other polymers)
• Menstrual pads (disposable, panty liners, intralabial pads, reusable menstrual pads)
• Period underwear and reusable menstrual garments

Update history

The five most recent substantive edits to this page, classified major (evidence or structure moved), correction (a published value or statement was wrong and has been fixed), or minor (narrative rewritten without changing the underlying evidence). Each description is derived from what the edit did to this page; the linked commit is the authoritative record, routine regeneration passes are excluded, and the full version history lives in git.