Seven Women Are Suing Over Forever Chemicals in Tampons, Heavy metals, & Carcinogens

That tampon box in your bathroom cabinet — the one with “pure cotton” printed in reassuring earth tones — might contain the same class of synthetic chemicals found in Teflon pans and firefighting foam. A California lawsuit filed by seven women targets six major brands, including Tampax, Always, Always Discreet, and L. Organic, alleging their products contained PFAS, endocrine disruptors, carcinogens, and heavy metals. The defendants: Procter & Gamble, Kimberly-Clark, Edgewell, Essity, Prestige Consumer Healthcare, and The Honey Pot Company. The FDA classifies most menstrual products as medical devices — meaning nobody was required to tell you what was actually in them.

What the Testing Found

Independent studies have detected PFAS and heavy metals in menstrual products at levels researchers call concerning.

NGO-commissioned testing found PFAS in 48% of pads, 22% of tampons, and 65% of period underwear, according to results reported by Mamavation and Environmental Health News. A Notre Dame and Indiana University study detected total fluorine above 110 ppm in nearly 30% of reusable product samples — levels consistent with intentional PFAS waterproofing. Most striking: some period underwear exceeded 1,000 ppm. A 2024 UC Berkeley study separately found lead, arsenic, and cadmium in tampons, with researchers noting that vaginal tissue bypasses the liver’s first-pass metabolism during absorption — a meaningful distinction from oral exposure.

Key allegations from the lawsuit:

Plaintiff Franco Lopez used the defendants’ products for 14 years

She alleges endometriosis, ovarian cysts, PCOS, miscarriage, chronic pelvic pain, and multiple surgeries

The suit claims companies failed to test, disclose, or warn consumersKimberly-Clark has filed to move the case to federal court

A Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health study of 322 mother-daughter pairs found that mothers with higher levels of EtFOSAA — a specific PFAS compound measured during pregnancy — were 2.7 times…