Toothpaste Widely Contaminated with Dangerous Heavy Metals, US Research Finds

Recent US tests found most of 51 brands of toothpaste tested for lead contained the dangerous heavy metal, including those for children or those marketed as green. The testing also found concerning levels of highly toxic arsenic, mercury and cadmium in many brands.

About 90% of toothpastes contained lead, 65% contained arsenic, just under half contained mercury, and one-third had cadmium. Many brands contain a number of the toxins.

Lead can cause cognitive damage to children, harm the kidneys and cause heart disease, among other issues. Lead, mercury, cadmium and arsenic are all carcinogens.

The contamination seems to lie in some ingredients added to toothpaste, including hydroxyapatite, calcium carbonate and bentonite clay. Hydroxyapatite is extracted from cow bone and added because it allegedly helps teeth absorb calcium. Calcium carbonate is added to help remove stains from teeth. Bentonite clay is a cleaning agent (those with the highest levels all had bentonite clay).

– edited excerpts from The Guardian (17 April 2025)

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/17/toothpaste-lead-heavy-metals?