Blood, sweat and pesticides

Toxic pesticide found in UK tampons at 40 times the drinking water limit, report reveals

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Published: May 31, 2025
This Article was written by: Katie Hill - My Green Pod
cotton, health, periods, pesticides, policy, schools, women

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A new study has found traces of glyphosate, a toxic pesticide, in UK tampons – at levels 40 times higher than the legal limit for drinking water.

Pesticide Action Network UK (PAN UK), Wen (Women’s Environmental Network) and the Pesticide Collaboration tested 15 boxes of tampons from UK retailers across a range of different popular brands.

Their report – Blood, sweat and pesticides: a closer look at toxic chemicals in period products – reveals that, even with a relatively small set of samples, glyphosate was found in tampons in one of the boxes.

Most remain unaware

Glyphosate is the world’s most popular herbicide (weedkiller) and is classed by the World Health Organization as ‘probably carcinogenic to humans’, meaning that it is linked to cancer.

It has also been associated with the development of Parkinson’s and other serious health conditions.

The levels of glyphosate detected in the sample was 0.004 mg/kg. While this may sound like a small amount, the UK and EU maximum residue level for drinking water is 0.0001 mg/kg – making this 40 times higher than permitted levels of glyphosate in drinking water.

‘If this level of glyphosate is deemed to be unsafe in the water we drink, why is it allowed to appear in our period products? Our investigation reveals that women, girls and those who menstruate may not be protected from exposure to harmful chemicals. And yet, most people remain completely unaware that this is even an issue.’

AMY HELEY
Public affairs manager at the Pesticide Collaboration

A hidden health risk

Unlike when ingested through food or water, chemicals absorbed via the vagina directly enter the bloodstream, bypassing the body’s detoxification systems.

As a result, even small amounts of harmful chemicals in tampons could pose a significant health risk.

Pesticides end up in period products after being used to grow cotton, which is one of the most chemical-dependent crops in the world.

Despite cotton being a key ingredient in tampons and many other period products, the 300 pesticides used in global cotton production include a range of endocrine-disrupting chemicals which pose a particular threat to women’s health and have been linked to fertility diseases and breast cancer.

‘Women, girls and people who menstruate deserve full transparency about what’s in their period products. It is scandalous that pesticides linked to cancer, as well as other toxic chemicals linked to reproductive and hormonal diseases, can show up in period products. Consumers deserve robust regulation that guarantees the safety of these products.’

HELEN LYNN
Environmenstrual campaign manager at Wen

Calls for urgent action

Despite mounting evidence of chemical contamination in menstrual products – including past reports of heavy metals such as lead and arsenic found in tampons and high-profile news stories – policymakers have failed to introduce regulation or safety testing.

The UK government has no current plans to tackle chemicals in period products.

‘We were genuinely shocked to find glyphosate in tampons sitting on UK shelves. This harmful chemical is already impossible to avoid since it’s sprayed by councils in streets and parks and contaminates much of our food and water due to its overuse in farming. We urgently need to reduce our overall toxic load and shouldn’t have to worry about glyphosate and other Highly Hazardous Pesticides in our period products. This is a blatant gap in health and safety regulation that the government urgently needs to address.’

JOSIE COHEN
Interim director at PAN UK

The report suggests a handful of recommendations for the UK government, including the introduction of robust regulation for period products with a testing scheme in place to ensure that they are free of pesticide residues.

The government should require manufacturers to disclose all the ingredients and additives found in period products so that customers can make informed decisions.

Given that young people are particularly vulnerable to health impacts from chemicals, the report also calls for the UK government’s free menstrual products programme in schools to immediately switch from handing out mainstream tampons and pads to their organic equivalents and sustainable reusables such as period pants and menstrual cups.