There have been worried concerns that tampons contain dangerous amounts of asbestos and dioxin.  This false information has been circulating the internet since 1998.

According to the FDA, tampons unequivocally do not contain asbestos.  Asbestos is not an ingredient in any US made tampon, nor is it associated with its fibers used to make the product. Asbestos is a known carcinogen, and is regulated and banned in certain products by OSHA, including any product that comes in contact with skin.

However, some tampons have a trace amount of dioxin but according to the FDA, levels are barely detectable.  Dioxin, a chemical linked to diabetes and endometriosis among other illnesses, is found naturally in cotton and rayon that tampons are made from. Most tampons are made of rayon. Rayon is made from cellulose and fibers of wood. The processing from raw materials includes chlorine bleaching which is known to produce dioxin. The makers say they wash it all away. Critics say they don’t, so there’s the controversy.

According to the UN safety committee guidelines, if you used 24 tampons in a month, your dioxin intake would be only 0.108 picograms/kg of body weight, which is less than 0.2 % of what’s considered safe. That being said, the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) says that there is no acceptable level of dioxin exposure.

Most of our dioxin exposure comes from the animal fat that we consume.  Toxicologist Michael J. DeVito states, “You’re exposed to at least 13,000 times more dioxin from your diet than from tampons.” These levels are much higher than what is being discussed here, even if the companies low-balled the figures. The ties of dioxins to cancer or disease are not clear-cut, they are speculative and circumstantial at this point. Even with significant exposures, most people do not get cancer.

However, if you want to limit your exposure of dioxins from tampons, it is recommended that you switch to unbleached tampons which have less dioxins, or of course, discontinue using them altogether. Your other options include cloth pads, unprocessed pads and tampons, and menstrual caps (which can also double as birth control).