ArticleEnvironment international2020
Volatile organic compounds in feminine hygiene products sold in the US market: A survey of products and health risks.
Article in Environment international, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
17 citing papers in PubMed, 49 citations in OpenAlex.
- Feminine hygiene products and black women's reproductive health: a review of health inequities, racialized marketing, and practice implications.Frontiers in reproductive health · 2026Review
- Estimation of Dermal Exposure to Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) from Feminine Hygiene Products: Integrating Measurement Data and Physiologically Based Toxicokinetic (PBTK) Model.Environmental health perspectives · 2025Article
- Beyond access to sanitary pads: a comprehensive analysis of menstrual health scheme impact among rural girls in Northeast India.Health policy and planning · 2025Article
- Menstrual products: culprits or bystanders in endometriosis and adenomyosis pathogenesis?Archives of gynecology and obstetrics · 2024Review
- Tampons as a source of exposure to metal(loid)s.Environment international · 2024Article
- Intimate Care Products and Incidence of Hormone-Related Cancers: A Quantitative Bias Analysis.Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology · 2024Article
- Volatile Organic Compounds in Disposable Diapers and Baby Wipes in the US: A Survey of Products and Health Risks.Environmental science & technology · 2023Article
- Occurrence of and dermal exposure to benzene, toluene and styrene in sunscreen products marketed in the United States.The Science of the total environment · 2023Article
- Assessing the Impact of Polyethylene Nano/Microplastic Exposure on Human Vaginal Keratinocytes.International journal of molecular sciences · 2023Article
- Examining differences in menstrual and intimate care product use by race/ethnicity and education among menstruating individuals.Frontiers in reproductive health · 2023Article
- Occurrence of and dermal exposure to benzene, toluene and styrene found in hand sanitizers from the United States.Environment international · 2022Article
- Article
- Be alert for vapor intrusion of 1,4-dioxane from contaminated groundwater.The Science of the total environment · 2022Article
- Menstrual Products as a Source of Environmental Chemical Exposure: A Review from the Epidemiologic Perspective.Current environmental health reports · 2022Review
- Feminine Hygiene Products and Volatile Organic Compounds in Reproductive-Aged Women Across the Menstrual Cycle: A Longitudinal Pilot Study.Journal of women's health (2002) · 2022Article
- Personal care product use among diverse women in California: Taking Stock Study.Journal of exposure science & environmental epidemiology · 2021Article
- A novel banana fiber pad for menstrual hygiene in India: a feasibility and acceptability study.BMC women's health · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Feminine hygiene products (FHPs) are used on highly permeable and sensitive vaginal and vulvar tissues by many women. These products contain a variety of chemicals, and few regulations require disclosure of their ingredients. The objectives of this study are to identify volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that may be present in these products and to evaluate the potential for exposure and health risk associated with product use. We collected 79 commercially available FHPs, including washes, tampons, menstrual pads, wipes, sprays, powders and moisturizers, and analyzed their composition using purge and trap sampling, thermal desorption, gas chromatography and mass spectroscopy. Exposures and risks were modeled using reasonable upper bound exposure scenarios. The highest VOC concentrations (as total target VOCs) were found in washes, sprays and powders, with median concentrations from 25,000 to 34,000 ng/g. Benzene (maximum: 3,604 ng/g) was detected in 83% of the collected products, and 1,4-dioxane (maximum: 24,354 ng/g) in 50% of the products. VOC composition depended on the FHP type, manufacturer and brand. Products labeled as "organic," "natural," or "for sensitive skin" did not necessarily have lower VOC concentrations. For most FHPs, calculated risks were low; however, menstrual pads had hazard ratios of up to 11, sprays and powders had hazard ratios of up to 2.2 and excess cancer risks of up to 2.1 × 10
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.