Exposure to Volatile Organic Compounds and Use of Feminine Hygiene Products Among Reproductive-Aged Women in the United States

Abstract

Background: Feminine hygiene products (FHPs) are personal care products widely used by women. A few studies have detected some volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in FHPs, but no previous epidemiological studies have linked use of these products to human exposure to VOCs using biomarkers. Therefore, we evaluated whether the use of FHPs was associated with VOC exposures among reproductive-aged women in the United States. Materials and Methods: Data on 2432 women aged 20-49 years from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2001-2004 were utilized. Self-reported use of feminine products (tampons, sanitary napkins, vaginal douches, sprays, powders, wipes/towelettes, and other products) was obtained from questionnaires. Survey-weighted linear regression models were used to estimate percent changes in VOC whole blood concentrations and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: Black women had significantly more use of vaginal douching and significantly higher whole blood concentrations of 1,4-dichlorobenzene (DCB) (p < 0.0001). After adjusting for confounders, we observed a dose-response relationship between the frequency of vaginal douching in the past 6 months and 1,4-DCB concentrations. Compared with never users, women with occasional use (£1 time/month) of vaginal douching had 18% (95% CI:-12% to 59%) higher concentrations, and those with frequent use (‡2 time/month) had 81% (95% CI: 2% to 221%) higher concentrations of 1,4-DCB (p for trend = 0.04). Use of feminine powder in the past month was significantly associated with 36% (95% CI: 0.4% to 83%) higher concentrations of ethylbenzene. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that differences in whole blood VOC concentrations might be explained by feminine hygiene practices. The presence of environmental chemicals in FHPs warrants further examination.

Personal care product use among diverse women in California: Taking Stock Study

“…The use of douches, vaginal wipes/towelettes, and vaginal washes/cleaners that was more common among Black women in our study is consistent with previous studies (53,54), demonstrated that greater use of vaginal douches among Black women substantially contributed to racial/ethnic differences in phthalate exposure. Recent testing studies have shown that some menstrual/intimate care products contain EDCs, such as phthalates and parabens, and also VOCs, and that, under certain scenarios, menstrual/intimate care product use may contribute substantially to body burden of phthalates (52,(55)(56)(57). Of even greater potential concern is the use of scented menstrual/intimate care products like scented tampons.…”

Mining of Consumer Product Ingredient and Purchasing Data to Identify Potential Chemical Coexposures

“…These patterns may reflect differential experiences and thus differential exposures among demographics. Such differential exposures have been previously supported by empirical investigations in women of color (Branch et al 2015;Ding et al 2020;Nguyen et al 2020) and individuals with lower income (van Woerden et al 2019). Further understanding the specific sources of these disparities would be a priority for future research and could include further analyses of the purchasing data to examine both product brand (which in some cases could be a surrogate for store access) and refined product type (which could be used to quantify differences in habits and practices among demographics).…”

Toxicological Effects of Technical Xylene Mixtures on the Female Reproductive System: A Systematic Review

“…Humans were at risk of being exposed through environmental, occupational [ 27 , 33 , 57 , 58 ], and other sources, including commercialized consumer products. In the most recent study, Ding et al [ 36 ] conducted a cross-sectional population study to establish an association between exposure to m-xylene and p-xylene, as part of the volatile organic compounds and the application of feminine hygiene products among American women in their reproductive age [ 36 ]. Trace levels of m-xylene and p-xylene were found among women who used vaginal douches for a period of six months.…”

“…Trace levels of m-xylene and p-xylene were found among women who used vaginal douches for a period of six months. Ding et al [ 36 ] admitted that the study had several drawbacks in terms of the reliability of the results. The cross-sectional data gathered for their study did not address other possible sources of volatile organic compounds.…”