PANORAMA’S ‘FOREVER CHEMICALS’ INVESTIGATION SHOWS THE SCALE OF THE CRISIS, BUT MISSES HOW TOXIC EXPOSURES AFFECT WOMEN, GIRLS AND THOSE WHO MENSTRUATE THROUGHOUT THEIR LIVES
By Helen Lynn, Senior Consultant and Research Fellow (Feminist Toxic Free Futures)
Last week’s BBC Panorama highlighted the extent of “Forever Chemicals” contamination in the UK – the Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) now found in our food, water, homes and, as reporter Catrin Nye discovered, in her own bloodstream.
For those of us working on toxic exposures for decades, none of this is new. But it remains urgent, alarming and deeply personal for women, girls and all those affected by exposure to these toxic chemicals.
PFAS, are a diverse family of thousands of chemicals known to be persistent in the human body, wildlife and the environment.
Panorama exposed how little control people have over the chemicals they’re exposed to every day. But the programme also missed a critical part of the story: how these toxic exposures affect women and children, particularly marginalised and racialised women, at every stage of life, and how inequality shapes who bears the greatest burden.
And it omitted one of the clearest examples of unnecessary, unregulated exposure in the UK today.
PFAS show up in period products and millions are still in the dark
Panorama did not mention that PFAS have been repeatedly found in menstrual products – including tampons, pads, period pants and reusable pads. Wen has been raising this issue for years through our Environmenstrual campaign, highlighting the hidden toxic chemicals in period products many of us use every month. Independent studies have detected PFAS and other harmful substances in items used in and next to the vagina and vulva – the most absorbent parts of the body – in some cases at what researchers describe as “extremely high” levels.
These chemicals are known to be endocrine disruptors linked to:
- fertility problems
- complications in pregnancy
- foetal development issues
- immune dysfunction
- harming our body processes like our metabolic function
- and certain cancers
And yet, in the UK, period products remain regulated like general consumer goods – the same category as candles or cushions.
This is not just irresponsible. It’s dangerous.
This is why we focus on a Feminist Toxic-Free Future
The omission matters because PFAS in period products is only one part of a wider picture Wen has been exposing for decades: the lifelong toxic burden carried by women, girls, and future generations.
Through our Feminist Toxic-Free Future programme, Wen has connected the dots between toxic chemicals and women’s and female health across the whole life course.
Adolescence and menstruation: Environmenstrual campaign
Girls and young women can be exposed to toxic chemicals including PFAS, pesticides, plastics and heavy metals from the moment they begin menstruating – often through the period products they rely on.
Pregnancy, birth and early childhood: Green Baby campaign
Our Green Baby campaign shows how women and parents are exposed during pregnancy and how foetuses can be exposed in the womb and in early life through harmful chemicals in common baby products, household items, and toys. These exposures can shape lifelong health.
Childhood: Toxic Toys (Green Baby Day 2025)
This year Wen spotlighted chemical exposure through children’s toys including phthalates, bisphenols, PFAS, flame retardants and heavy metals especially found in cheap and imported toys, particularly those sold online. Children are uniquely vulnerable, due to their developing systems, and smaller size, and families already facing structural inequality are more likely to be targeted with cheap, poorly regulated products.
Adulthood, menopause and later life
Women face additional exposure through personal care products such as mascara, eyeshadow, foundation, and lipsticks , household cleaning products. Those women working with PFAS or products containing PFAS are most at risk such as textile workers and those working with food packaging, and this is all compounded by environmental contamination and social inequalities.
Across the life course, women face a continuous, accumulating toxic burden and the impacts are not equally shared. Racialised and marginalised communities face higher exposures, fewer safe alternatives, and greater health risks from living near industrial sites or PFAS hotspots to those exposed to contaminated water supplies.
A hidden public health crisis
Wen has warned that the UK’s weak regulations are failing women, children and future generations.
Thousands of people have joined us to demand:
- Mandatory safety testing for all menstrual products
- A ban on harmful chemicals including PFAS and pesticides
- Stronger regulation of online marketplaces selling toys and baby products
- Alignment with, or stronger than, new EU bans on PFAS, bisphenols and endocrine-disrupting chemicals in toys
- Environmental justice at the heart of UK chemicals policy
With 79,500 voices now supporting our petition delivered to Downing Street demanding toxic chemicals out of period products, the public is clear: people want better protection and specific regulation.
Panorama has raised an important issue
Panorama rightly exposed the scale of PFAS contamination. But until the government closes the regulatory gaps around menstrual products, baby products, toys and wider household items, millions will continue to face unnecessary and unequal chemical risks.
This is a feminist, environmental and social justice issue.We need legislation that finally puts women’s health before corporate convenience, and children’s safety before deregulation.
We need bans on the most harmful chemicals, stronger enforcement, and full transparency from manufacturers. And we need it now.
Add your voice to Wen’s campaigns on the issue
📣 Email Chemicals Minister Emma Hardy to demand action
https://www.pan-uk.org/period-products/
🩸 Join the movement for #ToxicFreePeriods
https://www.wen.org.uk/toxicfreeperiodspetition/
✍️ Support the Menstrual Health, Dignity & Sustainability Act
https://www.wen.org.uk/menstrual-act/
