Research raises concerns about metal concentration in tampons

YEAR. AS WE TOLD YOU EARLIER, THERE ARE NEW HEALTH CONCERNS TONIGHT ABOUT --. SO HERE TO TALK ABOUT THAT DOCTOR TODD ELLERIN, WHO IS THE DEPUTY CHAIR OF MEDICINE AT SOUTH SHORE HEALTH. SO MORE THAN HALF DOCTOR OF AMERICANS WHO --, THEY USE --. SO WHY ARE RESEARCHERS. AND THIS IS FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT BERKELEY. WHY ARE THEY THEY NOW ASKING ARE THESE SAFE TO USE. THAT’S CONCERNING. WHY IS THIS QUESTION COMING UP. WHAT THE RESEARCHERS FOUND AND THIS WAS SEMINAL, IS THE FIRST TIME THAT THEY ACTUALLY MEASURED METAL CONCENTRATIONS WITHIN --. AND THAT INCLUDES THINGS LIKE LEAD AND ARSENIC AND WHAT THEY FOUND IS IN --, WHETHER THEY WERE ORGANIC OR INORGANIC, WHETHER THEY WERE FROM THE UNITED STATES OR THE EU OR THE UK, WHAT THEY WERE SEEING WAS DETECTABLE LEVELS OF METALS. AND SO THAT’S SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT. DO YOU THINK THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD GET INVOLVED? I THINK WHAT’S IMPORTANT IS, YOU KNOW, THE FDA DOES REGULATE THESE PRODUCTS. OKAY. SO I THINK WHAT’S IMPORTANT IS THAT THE REGULATORS AND THEN THE -- MANUFACTURERS HAVE TO DO MORE TESTING SO WE CAN FIGURE THIS OUT. AND WHY NOW? WELL, THE OTHER THING IS I WANT PEOPLE TO REALIZE WE DID NOT THE RESEARCHERS DID NOT LOOK AT LEVELS IN THE CIRCULATION IN OUR BODY. SO SYSTEMIC, THEY MEASURED IT WITHIN THE --. SO THE QUESTION REALLY IS ARE THERE LEVELS THAT ARE LEACHING OUT OF THE -- BEING ABSORBED THROUGH THE VAGINA INTO THE CIRCULATION? AND THEN IS THAT CAUSING ANY REAL PROBLEMS? WE DON’T KNOW THAT YET. SO I DON’T WANT PEOPLE TO PANIC. YOU KNOW, THESE WERE LOW LEVELS. BUT WE HAVE TO FIGURE OUT WHAT IT MEANS. AND VERY LOW, LOW LEVELS. REMEMBER WHEN WE WERE DEALING WITH TOXIC SHOCK SYNDROME? UM, BACK IN THE DAY AND THAT THERE WAS A PARTICULAR BRAND OF --? I REMEMBER DOING THE STORY. I REMEMBER. THAT’S RIGHT. THAT WAS A HUGE CONCERN. THIS IS NOT THAT. THAT IS NOT THAT WAS A TOXIC BACTERIA. THESE ARE METALS THAT FRANKLY, YOU KNOW, WE DON’T REALLY WANT TO THINK ABOUT THAT. THERE’S LEAD IN OUR --. BUT THEY ARE LOW LEVELS. WE ARE AS A POPULATION, EXPOSED TO LOW LEVELS OF METALS. AND WE JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THOUGH THE THIS IS A HYPOTHESIS GENERATING STUDY. WE DON’T WANT IT TO END HERE. AND WE WANT THE MANUFACTURERS AND THE REGULATORS TO COLLABORATE SO WE CAN HAVE ANSWERS AND SAY, YOU KNOW WHAT, THESE ARE LOW LEVELS, BUT THEY’RE SAFE OR THEY’RE NOT. WHAT DO YOU TELL THE WOMEN IN YOUR LIFE? WELL, RIGHT NOW I AM NOT SAYING THAT YOU HAVE TO ABANDON --. -- ARE SO IMPORTANT. LIKE YOU SAID, MORE THAN 50% OF PEOPLE WHO ARE -- USE --. BUT IF YOU’RE WORRIED ABOUT IT, REMEMBER THERE ARE ALTERNATIVES. WHETHER THEY’RE PADS, CUPS, WHETHER THEY’RE, YOU KNOW, UM, YOU KNOW, PERIOD UNDERWEAR. THERE ARE OTHER YOU KNOW, ALTERNATIVES. BUT -- ARE USED VERY COMMONLY. AND, YOU KNOW, REMEMBER, THESE HAVE BEEN AROUND SINCE 1931. MARIA. RIGHT. SO PEOPLE AREN’T RUNNING INTO MY OFFICE OR INTO THE HOSPITAL WITH HEAVY METAL POISONING. BUT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT YOU’RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO KEEP