A new study has found that some period products like tampons, pads and period underwear contain ‘forever chemicals’.
The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Notre Dame, analysed over 100 period products for fluorinated compounds, an indicator of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS.
Their results show that while PFAS are absent from many products, they might be accidentally or intentionally added to others.
‘Of course, you’re concerned for the wearer, but we’re also concerned about the ecological impact because PFAS are “forever chemicals”,’ said Dr Graham Peaslee, the principal investigator of the project.
‘Once these products are thrown away, they go to landfills and decay, releasing PFAS into groundwater. And we, or later generations, could end up inadvertently ingesting them.’
PFAS are a category of over 12,000 compounds with stick-, stain- and water-resistant properties that might be used to keep moisture out of the wrappers and prevent blood from escaping the inner layers of the products.
However, these compounds don’t break down easily in the environment or our bodies. They have also been linked to an increased risk of cancers and immune suppression.
Currently, there are few regulatory limits on including PFAS in textiles or period products in the US or Europe.
When it comes to period products, people are concerned about what goes into them, which is why the team started testing them for PFAS.
While it’s unclear how much PFAS could pass from different materials through the skin, the team has found these compounds in firefighting gear, school uniforms and period underwear.
Other researchers have detected PFAS in additional period products, such as tampons and pads.
Researchers want to expand the analyses to a larger variety of period products that haven’t been widely tested, including the packaging for single-use tampons and pads, as well as menstrual cups.
The study was done by cutting out a small portion of each item and analysing it in less than three minutes, using particle-induced gamma-ray emission spectroscopy.
Some pads and period underwear had multiple layers, which were sampled separately. For instance, some of the tested underwear products had as many as ten layers, though the average was closer to four.
They were surprised at the presence of fluorine in the wrappers for numerous pads and some tampons, as well as the outer layers of some period underwear.
Some of the highest amounts measured were 1,000 to several thousand parts per million total fluorine.
The team noted that it was interesting that some products tested in the study were actually free of fluorine.
‘It’s clear that PFAS are not essential,’ said Peaslee. ‘Feminine products are essential, but the need for a fluorinated wrapper, or the need for a fluorinated layer, doesn’t seem to be, because plenty of them are made without relying on these compounds.’
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