Viral TikTok spreading misinformation about tampon ingredients

False TikTok video claims tampons contain cancer-causing ingredient

BOSTON -- A TikTok video is spreading misinformation about an ingredient used in some tampons and it is causing real alarm among some viewers.

This TikTok video is claiming that tampons containing titanium dioxide can cause cancer, despite no evidence.

Titanium dioxide is a naturally occurring mineral used in many cosmetic products and sunscreens as a whitening agent.

Some research suggests that it can promote lung cancer if inhaled but that has only been observed in rodents, not humans.

Toxicologists say that the mineral is generally safe to use. Plus, its use in some tampons is minimal.

But let this be a reminder that TikTok and other online entertainment and social media sites are not credible sources of medical information, and parents need to teach their children to be highly skeptical of everything they see on these platforms.

TikTok

Mallika Marshall, MD

Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. A practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center, where she is currently working on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School.

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