Toxic Pesticide Found in UK Tampons at 40 Times the Drinking Water Limit, report reveals
A new study has found traces of glyphosate, a toxic pesticide, in UK tampons — at levels 40 times higher than the legal limit for drinking water.
Pesticide Action Network UK (PAN UK), Wen (Women’s Environmental Network) and the Pesticide Collaboration tested 15 boxes of tampons from UK retailers across a range of different popular brands. [1]
Their report — Blood, sweat and pesticides: a closer look at toxic chemicals in period products — which launches today on global “Menstrual Hygiene Day” reveals that, even with a relatively small set of samples, glyphosate was found in tampons in one of the boxes.
Glyphosate is the world’s most popular herbicide (weedkiller) and is classed by the World Health Organization as “probably carcinogenic to humans”, meaning that it is linked to cancer. It has also been associated with the development of Parkinson’s and other serious health conditions.
The levels of glyphosate detected in the sample was 0.004 mg/kg. While this may sound like a small amount, the UK and EU maximum residue level for drinking water is 0.0001 mg/kg (0.1 micrograms 𝞵/kg) – making this 40 times higher than permitted levels of glyphosate in drinking water.
Amy Heley, Public Affairs Manager at the Pesticide Collaboration, said, “If this level of glyphosate is deemed to be unsafe in the water we drink, why is it allowed to appear in our period products? Our investigation reveals that women, girls and those who menstruate may not be protected from exposure to harmful chemicals. And yet, most people remain completely unaware that this is even an issue.”
A Hidden Health Risk
Unlike when ingested through food or water, chemicals absorbed via the vagina directly enter the bloodstream, bypassing the body’s detoxification systems. As a result, even small amounts of harmful chemicals in tampons could pose a significant health risk.
Pesticides end up in period products after being used to grow cotton, which is one of the most chemical-dependent crops in the world. Despite cotton being a key ingredient in tampons and many other period products, the three hundred pesticides used in global cotton production include a range of endocrine disrupting chemicals which pose a particular threat to women’s health and have been linked to fertility diseases and breast cancer.
Helen Lynn, Environmenstrual Campaign Manager at Wen, said “Women, girls and people who menstruate deserve full transparency about what’s in their period products. It is scandalous that pesticides linked to cancer, as well as other toxic chemicals linked to reproductive and hormonal diseases, can show up in period products. Consumers deserve robust regulation that guarantees the safety of these products.”
Calls for urgent action
Despite mounting evidence of chemical contamination in menstrual products – including past reports of heavy metals such as lead and arsenic found in tampons [2] and high-profile news stories – policymakers have failed to introduce regulation or safety testing. The UK Government has no current plans to tackle chemicals in period products [3].
Josie Cohen, Interim Director at PAN UK, said “We were genuinely shocked to find glyphosate in tampons sitting on UK shelves. This harmful chemical is already impossible to avoid since it’s sprayed by councils in streets and parks and contaminates much of our food and water due to its overuse in farming. We urgently need to reduce our overall toxic load and shouldn’t have to worry about glyphosate and other Highly Hazardous Pesticides in our period products. This is a blatant gap in health and safety regulation that the Government urgently needs to address.”
The report suggests a handful of recommendations for the UK Government, including the introduction of robust regulation for period products with a testing scheme in place to ensure that they are free of pesticide residues. The Government should require manufacturers to disclose all the ingredients and additives found in period products so that customers can make informed decisions. Given that young people are particularly vulnerable to health impacts from chemicals, the report also calls for the UK Government’s free menstrual products programme in schools to immediately switch from handing out mainstream tampons and pads to their organic equivalents and sustainable reusables such as period pants and menstrual cups.
Contacts:
Helen Lynn – Environmenstrual Campaign Manager, Wen (Women’s Environmental Network) helen@wen.org.uk / +44 (0)7960 033 687
Josie Cohen – Interim Director, Pesticide Action Network UK (PAN UK)
josie@pan-uk.org / +44 (0)7956 250 260
Notes to Editors:
The full report is available upon request. Once the embargo lifts, it will be available at:
- PAN UK website: www.pan-uk.org/period-products
- Wen website: https://www.wen.org.uk/events/resources/
[1] The tampons were purchased from a range of UK high street retailers on 15th July 2024, and we received the results back from Primoris Lab, Belgium on the 6th August 2024. Since our report focuses on the lack of government testing and regulation of period products, we will not be releasing the name of the brand of tampons in which glyphosate was found. Pesticides and other chemicals being present in tampons and other period products is a systemic issue not confined to one company or brand.
[2] “Tampons contain lead, arsenic and potentially toxic heavy metals, study finds”
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/tampons-heavy-metals-arsenic-lead-cancer-b2580510.html
[3] Timeline of testing https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xSN7rxyrX7EckpyZOaZBis7Whc9VQ8_G/edit?gid=1087552935#gid=1087552935
[4] UK Government. (2005). General product safety regulations 2005 (Great Britain). https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/general-product-safety-regulations-2005/general-product-safety-regulations-2005-great-britain
Further information on the report’s authors:
- Wen (Women’s Environmental Network): https://www.wen.org.uk/approach/
- PAN UK: https://www.pan-uk.org/about-us/
- The Pesticide Collaboration: https://pesticidecollaboration.org/about-the-collaboration/