Article Scientists warn of toxic ‘forever chemicals’ in reusable period products
Article Scientists warn of toxic ‘forever chemicals’ in reusable period products
Jul 28 2025, 9:29 PM
Quote:To identify PFAS presence in products, scientists typically begin by deploying a broad-stroke screening tool: the assessment of total fluorine in a sample. They generally deem fluorine usage as “intentional” — or deliberate in a product’s formulation, as opposed to accidental contamination — when levels surpass a specific safety threshold....
In the current study, the researchers narrowed their focus on 59 reusable hygiene products — such as period underwear, reusable pads, menstrual cups and reusable incontinence underwear and pads — from North America, South America, Europe, Asia and the Pacific....
These preliminary screenings showed that period underwear and reusable pads likely had the highest rates of intentional PFAS use: 33 percent and 25 percent of items in each of these product categories, respectively....
Following the initial fluorine scans, the scientists then chose 19 products for targeted analyses of 31 “ionic” and 11 “neutral” types of PFAS...
In the more precise PFAS tests for the 19 period products, the researchers detected the compounds in 100 percent of the products, with two types of neutral PFAS — 6:2 and 8:2 fluorotelomer alcohols (FTOH) — boasting the most abundant presence.
Quote:To identify PFAS presence in products, scientists typically begin by deploying a broad-stroke screening tool: the assessment of total fluorine in a sample. They generally deem fluorine usage as “intentional” — or deliberate in a product’s formulation, as opposed to accidental contamination — when levels surpass a specific safety threshold....
In the current study, the researchers narrowed their focus on 59 reusable hygiene products — such as period underwear, reusable pads, menstrual cups and reusable incontinence underwear and pads — from North America, South America, Europe, Asia and the Pacific....
These preliminary screenings showed that period underwear and reusable pads likely had the highest rates of intentional PFAS use: 33 percent and 25 percent of items in each of these product categories, respectively....
Following the initial fluorine scans, the scientists then chose 19 products for targeted analyses of 31 “ionic” and 11 “neutral” types of PFAS...
In the more precise PFAS tests for the 19 period products, the researchers detected the compounds in 100 percent of the products, with two types of neutral PFAS — 6:2 and 8:2 fluorotelomer alcohols (FTOH) — boasting the most abundant presence.
