Menstrual Products Contain "Forever Chemicals"

Some menstrual products -- pads, tampons, cups and underwear -- contain harmful “forever chemicals,” according to new research into the contents of these essential items, Cara Munez reported for HealthDay.

Photo Insert: The products typically don't list ingredients on their packaging.

Researchers analyzed more than 100 period products looking for fluorinated compounds, an indicator of potentially harmful per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

The products typically don't list ingredients on their packaging. PFAS' include more than 12,000 compounds that can resist water, stains, and sticking. They don't break down easily in the environment or the human body but instead accumulate.

While exposure to these compounds has been linked to some cancers and immune suppression, there are few regulatory limits on PFAS or period products in the US or Europe.

Researchers presented their findings Sunday at a meeting of the American Chemical Society, in San Francisco.

"Of course, you're concerned for the wearer, but we're also concerned about the ecological impact because PFAS are 'forever chemicals,'" said principal investigator Graham Peaslee, a professor of physics at the University of Notre Dame.

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