23rd April 2026
Today, the Environmental Audit Committee’s latest report calls for urgent restrictions on PFAS in consumer goods – including school uniforms, cookware and food packaging. But one critical category is missing: period products.
PFAS have been found in some period products, raising serious questions about long-term exposure for those who use them regularly, often from a young age. If we are serious about protecting women’s health, this gap cannot be ignored.
Chair Toby Perkins acknowledged the strategy as “an important step”, but one that “does not go far enough”. The Committee is clear: the UK Government’s current plan is “short on decisive actions” and risks becoming a plan to eventually have a plan.
If we’re serious about reducing exposure to toxic chemicals, we cannot ignore products used directly on and in the body, month after month. This also directly undermines the recently renewed ambitions of the UK’s Women’s Health Strategy for England.
At Wen (Women’s Environmental Network), we are calling for faster, stronger action on PFAS, that truly reflects women’s everyday exposure.
For interviews contact Kate Beard at Wen on 07950585284 or kate.beard@wen.org.uk.
