You’d think that in 2025, basic period care wouldn’t be contaminated with toxic chemicals, but welcome to late stage capitalism where even bleeding safely has a price tag. A new report from PAN UK, the Women’s Environmental Network and the Pesticide collaboration just revealed something horrifying about tampons in the UK.

Tampons sold in UK stores were found to contain high levels of glyphosate , which is a pesticide linked to cancer, at levels 40 times higher than what is legally allowed in drinking water. 

Let’s break that down. Glyphosate is the same chemical found in weed killer. It’s been classified as “probably carcinogenic to humans” by the WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer. So how did it end up in tampons? The answer’s simple and bleak: mass-produced cotton is often treated with heavy-duty pesticides. And menstrual products? They aren’t legally required to be tested for pesticide residue in the UK. Regulation? Never heard of her.

Let’s not downplay it: menstrual products are used internally, often for hours at a time, every single month and yet there’s still no legal obligation in the UK to test them for toxins. This isn’t just a minor oversight, it’s a ticking health time bomb.

This isn’t also only about discomfort or rashes, it’s about long-term exposure to chemicals that are linked to cancer.

And like most things in this broken system, the worst effects land hardest on those with the fewest choices. Pesticide-free, organic period products exist but they come with a price tag and limited availability. Period poverty is still rampant across the UK. One in ten people who menstruate can’t always afford products at all. So when the option is between toxic tampons or nothing? Guess which one’s getting bought.

This is what dystopia looks like quietly ticking along: a society that can build AI therapists and launch rockets for fun, but still hasn’t prioritised the safety of a product half the population relies on monthly. Facial recognition tech? Rapidly evolving. Tampons without toxic residue? Apparently still too much to ask. We need mandatory testing, full ingredient transparency, and proper regulation of all menstrual products, no more loopholes and no more poison in our pants.

Bleeding is already inconvenient enough. It shouldn’t be carcinogenic, too.