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MONDAY, Aug. 14, 2023 (HealthDay Information) — Some menstrual merchandise — pads, tampons, cups and underwear — include dangerous “ceaselessly chemical compounds,” in keeping with new analysis into the contents of those important gadgets.
Researchers analyzed greater than 100 interval merchandise on the lookout for fluorinated compounds, an indicator of doubtless dangerous per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS. The merchandise sometimes don’t record substances on their packaging.
PFAS embody greater than 12,000 compounds that may resist water, stains and sticking. They don’t break down simply within the setting or the human physique, however as a substitute accumulate.
Whereas publicity to those compounds has been linked to some cancers and immune suppression, there are few regulatory limits on PFAS or interval merchandise in the US or Europe.
Researchers offered their findings Sunday at a gathering of the American Chemical Society, in San Francisco.
“In fact, you’re involved for the wearer, however we’re additionally involved in regards to the ecological impression as a result of PFAS are ‘ceaselessly chemical compounds,’” stated principal investigator Graham Peaslee, a professor of physics on the College of Notre Dame.
“As soon as these merchandise are thrown away, they go to landfills and decay, releasing PFAS into groundwater,” he stated in a gathering information launch. “And we, or later generations, might find yourself inadvertently ingesting them.”
How a lot PFAS can go from supplies to pores and skin is unknown.
For this examine, researchers analyzed quite a lot of interval merchandise, from single-use to reusable merchandise.
“Our first step was a screening that’s carried out rapidly and easily,” stated Alyssa Wicks, a graduate scholar in Peaslee’s lab. “We decided if these merchandise had natural fluorine as a surrogate for PFAS.”
Researchers did this by slicing out a small piece every merchandise and analyzing it quickly utilizing particle-induced gamma-ray emission spectroscopy.
Some pads and interval underwear had a number of layers, as many as 10. These have been sampled individually.
The crew additionally measured complete fluorine within the wrappers of single-use merchandise.
Whereas a few of the merchandise probably include PFAS, not all do, the examine discovered.
“Basically, tampons didn’t appear to include fluorine,” Wicks stated within the launch. “Similar with menstrual cups and the layers of pads that are available in contact with an individual’s pores and skin.”
The quantity of fluorine in wrappers was a shock to the scientists. So, too, was the quantity in outer layers of some interval underwear.
A few of the highest quantities measured have been 1,000 to a number of thousand elements per million complete fluorine.
Wicks hypothesized that PFAS may be used to maintain moisture out of the wrappers so the contents keep dry. Including these compounds to the outer layer of interval underwear could assist forestall leaks, she recommended.
The crew analyzed 123 merchandise bought in the US. They plan to investigate the samples that contained measurable quantities of fluorine particularly for 40 particular person PFAS compounds. Additionally they plan to investigate interval merchandise bought in Europe.
“It’s clear that PFAS should not important,” Peaslee stated. “Female merchandise are important, however the want for a fluorinated wrapper, or the necessity for a fluorinated layer, doesn’t appear to be, as a result of loads of them are made with out counting on these compounds.”
Findings offered at medical conferences are thought of preliminary till printed in a peer-reviewed journal.
Extra data
The U.S. Meals and Drug Administration has extra on PFAS.
SOURCE: American Chemical Society, information launch, Aug. 13, 2023
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