According to statistics, during menstruation, from 50 to 80% of women use tampons. Many representatives of the fair sex find these intimate hygiene products very convenient. However, a recent study showed that they contain toxic substances that, if ingested, can increase the risk of dementia, infertility and even cause complications during childbirth. Tampon manufacturers do not add harmful components on purpose – scientists believe that they are taken from another source, which is not so easy to guess.
Women's tampons turned out to be more dangerous due to the content of heavy metals. Source: cosmopolitan.de
Contents
- 1 Why are female tampons harmful?
- 2 Why arsenic is dangerous to health
- 3 The toxicity of lead to humans
- 4 Why It’s better not to use tampons
What are the dangers of female tampons
As part of the scientific work, the results of which were published in the scientific journal Environment International, scientists assessed the level of heavy metals in 30 tampons of 14 different brands. They were interested in whether there were dangerous substances such as arsenic, barium, chromium, mercury and other metals in feminine hygiene products.
Basically, women's tampons are made of cotton. Source: nestory.ru
The conclusion was disappointing because heavy metals were found to some extent in all specimens. Most of all, scientists were puzzled by the high content of lead and arsenic in them. Organic tampons, which are 100% cotton, contained high levels of arsenic particles. And in inorganic tampons, which consist of a mixture of viscose and regular cotton, a lot of lead was found.
Why arsenic is dangerous to health
Arsenic poses a serious threat to human health, especially in high concentrations . It is usually found in contaminated water, and residents of India and some American states especially suffer from this. Arsenic often migrates from the environment into foods such as fish, shellfish, grains and vegetables.
Arsenic, especially in large quantities, causes irreparable harm to the human body and is a poison. Source: thepharma.media
If a large dose of arsenic suddenly enters the human body, poisoning occurs. It is accompanied by nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, muscle cramps and sometimes ends in death.
In the long term, arsenic in the body can cause cancer, skin lesions, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and deterioration of brain function.
Lead toxicity to humans
Lead is one of the most common toxic metals. It can enter the body through breathing, food and water, and through contact with contaminated soil. Over the years, in some countries, people have been poisoned by lead due to old water pipes made from this harmful material.
Lead is one of the most dangerous metals for humans. Source: billionnews.ru
Lead is very dangerous because after exposure to it, people literally become “stupid.” This does not happen instantly; metal leads to such consequences slowly, over many years. Lead poisoning also causes pain in the stomach and head, increased fatigue and can even cause coma.
Read also:Why tablets taste so bitter
Why It is better not to use tampons
Arsenic, lead and other similar substances are harmful to human health. They are usually found in high concentrations in contaminated water and soil, as well as in some foods. But where did it come from in tampons?
The authors of the scientific work believe that cotton is the source of toxic substances. During growth, it can absorb poisons from the environment, especially if it grows near factories or other industrial enterprises. It may also be that they end up in intimate hygiene products along with antibacterial components.
Most likely, the source of toxic substances in tampons is cotton. Source: qagro.kz
Scientists are puzzled by this discovery because the vaginal mucosa can absorb harmful substances more than any other part of the female body. If tampons contain a lot of toxic substances, they can be very dangerous to health – perhaps, over the years, women have been ruining their health and did not even suspect it.
In fairness, it is worth noting that today scientists have There is no evidence that tampons are harmful to health. After scientific work, only suspicions about their potential harm arose. So in the near future, it is unlikely that anyone will ban tampons or strictly control manufacturers. But in the future, something may change in this area, and this study is the first step towards this.
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