Tampons, Asbestos, and Cancer

Q: Are tampons bad for you? I read they may contain asbestos.

No. Tampons don't contain any asbestos, the FDA states unequivocally. Some have trace amounts of dioxin, a chemical linked to diabetes and endometriosis (it comes from the rayon and cotton they're made from). But levels are so low as to be insignificant. A United Nations committee set a safe dioxin intake of 70 pg/kg of body weight per month. If the average woman used 24 tampons a month, her dioxin intake would be only 0.108 pg/kg, or less than 0.2% of the exposure levels deemed safe.

Most of our dioxin exposure comes from food (it accumulates in fatty tissues of animals). In fact, you're exposed to at least 13,000 times more dioxin from your diet than from tampons. To reduce exposure, eat more plant proteins, such as beans, instead of meat. --Stephanie Woodard

Source: Michael J. DeVito, PhD, senior toxicologist with the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

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