Toxic pesticide found in tampons, say British NGOs
This finding is all the more worrying given that glyphosate is far from being the only harmful substance found in women's sanitary protection products.
Manufacturers of tampons, pads and other menstrual protection products still have a long way to go to protect the health of menstruating people.
The new report has revealed the presence of glyphosate in around 15 brands of tampons sold in the United Kingdom.
According to their investigation, concentrations of this pesticide (considered a probable human carcinogen) can be as high as 0.004 mg/kg ... 40 times the legal limit for drinking water in the UK!
One of the hypotheses put forward to explain how these substances end up in products designed for period protection is that glyphosate may have been present in certain weedkillers used in cotton fields.
In light of these findings, the NGOs behind the survey recommend that a regulatory system be put in place, along with a testing process to ensure that menstrual hygiene products are free of pesticides.
'Women, girls and people who menstruate use an average of 11,000 disposable menstrual products throughout their life.
'Despite the prolific use of these products, the potential health impacts of the chemicals and pesticides that they can contain remains largely unexamined,' says the executive summary, available on the website of Pesticide Action Network, a UK NGO that co-authored the report.
NGOs and scientists have been warning us about the toxic composition of menstrual products for several years now.
In July 2024, an American study revealed the presence of several heavy metals (arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead and vanadium) in 24 brands of tampons sold in Europe and the United States.
Other studies were previously conducted, particularly in France.
In 2019, the magazine 60 Millions de Consommateurs sounded the alarm in a comparative test carried out to check for the presence of chemical compounds in menstrual products.
The results reported the presence of residues of several harmful substances, such as phthalates, dioxins and ... glyphosate. – AFP Relaxnews
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