Each year, billions of menstrual protections are used worldwide, mainly composed of cotton, plastic and absorbent agents. These products, in direct contact with a very permeable mucosa, nevertheless remain very unat ie. In the United Kingdom, a survey by Pan UK (Pesticide Action Network UK), the Women revealed glyphosate levels in stamps up to 40 times higher than the limit authorized in drinking water.
This pesticide, widely used in agriculture, is classified as “probably carcinogenic” by WHO since 2015. This study, made public in May 2025, is only strengthening the alerts already issued on the presence of heavy metals, PFAS and other toxic compounds in these consumer products. While the data accumulate, the regulations are struggling to follow.
Tampons: silent but deep contamination
The recent investigation therefore revealed the presence of glyphosate in buffers sold in the United Kingdom. This result, from testing on 15 boxes of stamps from major trademarks, is particularly worrying. The glyphosate, the most used pesticide in the world, was detected there at a concentration of 0.004 mg/kg. This figure, although appearing weak, is forty times higher than the maximum limit authorized for drinking water in the European Union and in the United Kingdom, set at 0.0001 mg/kg.
This pesticide is far from trivial. In 2015, the International Center for Research on Cancer (Circ), an WHO organ, ranked it as “probably carcinogenic for humans” (group 2A). It is also suspected in the development of neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson. Its use in cotton cultivation – the main ingredient of stamps – explains its presence in these intimate products.
What makes this contamination particularly disturbing is the exhibition route. During a classic ingestion, the liver and the kidneys play a filter role. However, here, the vaginal absorption allows a direct passage in the blood circulation, without prior detoxification. “Our investigation reveals that menstruated people could be exposed to toxic substances without being informed “, Alert Amy Heley to Guardian. The discreet, repetitive and prolonged nature of this exhibition raises a major public health issue.
From field to intimate: a chain of toxicity for stamps
Before reaching the shelves of supermarkets, periodic protections begin a long industrial journey, often invisible. It all starts with cotton. This culture, known for its high demand for chemical inputs, is one of the most polluting in the world. Nearly 300 different pesticides can be applied to it, a significant proportion of which belongs to the HHP category – “highly dangerous” pesticides according to FAO and WHO.
However, the majority of cotton used in the textile and hygienic industry comes from Global South countries. Regulations on the use of phytosanitary products often remain less strict, even absent. It is in these regions that many farms employ women, often exposed without protection to toxic substances during the spraying, harvesting or cotton treatment phases. This exhibition continues even after work, chemical residues permeate clothes, domestic dust and water used in homes.
Once harvested, cotton is treated, bleached, spun, then transformed into finished products. At no time of this process – neither during assembly, nor packaging – systematic tests are required to assess the presence of toxic residues in menstrual protections. Sam Claydon de Pan Uk stresses that this lack of control represents a real regulatory blindness. Result ? A pesticide applied to a field at thousands of kilometers can, by an opaque and not monitored industrial chain, find yourself in direct contact with the human body, to one of its most vulnerable points.
Heavy metals in consumer products
In 2024, a team of researchers led by Kathrin Schilling at the University of California in Berkeley had already conducted the first systematic study aimed at measuring the concentration of toxic metals in the buffers. The analysis focused on 30 products of various brands, bought in the United States, the United Kingdom and Greece. The results are final. We find lead, arsenic, cadmium, but also nickel, copper or strontium in the vast majority of samples.
Lead, in particular, had average concentrations approximately ten times higher than the standards admitted for drinking water. Arsenic, although present at lower levels, remains problematic. According to Schilling, these metals have nothing to do in products intended for intimate use. They can come from contaminated soils where cotton grows, or industrial treatments and pigments used in manufacturing.
But what concerns scientists even more is the total absence of data on the bioavailability of these substances vaginal. Unlike water or food with defined exposure thresholds, today there is no standard for heavy metals in menstrual products. However, the vaginal mucosa is a direct absorption route, more permeable than the skin. If metals can migrate from stamp to blood circulation, risks may be much more important than those associated with other forms of exposure.
Persistent chemicals: invisible danger
PFAS (perfluoroalkylated substances), phthalates and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) extend the list of worrying substances found in menstrual protections. These compounds are used for their anti-humidity, adhesive or fragrant properties. But their health effects are far from harmless. Classified as endocrine disruptors, they can interfere with hormonal functions. In fact, they notably promote early puberty, fertility disorders, or even metabolic imbalances.
A survey conducted in 2022 by mamation, in partnership with the Institute for Green Science in Carnegie Mellon University, highlighted the presence of PFAS in 22 % of stamps, 48 % of towels and 65 % of menstrual panties tested. This observation is all the more disturbing that for some of these compounds, no security threshold exists. And that, despite their persistence in the environment and their possible accumulation in the body.
In France, the subject remains largely absent from the public debate, despite an increasing sensitivity to the issues linked to endocrine disruptors. The National Health Safety Agency (ANSES) does not offer, to date, a specific framework for these products. However, the multiplication of international alerts should encourage health authorities to act. It becomes urgent to guarantee the safety of such a common as it is an event.
With an unwavering passion for local news, Christopher leads our editorial team with integrity and dedication. With over 20 years’ experience, he is the backbone of Wouldsayso, ensuring that we stay true to our mission to inform.
