Tushy & Who Gives a Crap (Bamboo): Both brands were found in the limited fluorine screening tests. Who Gives a Crap has taken this situation in stride, noting on their site under their Transparency section: “Through our regular testing, we have found some trace amounts of organic fluorine… we won’t stop there! We are sooo committed to investigating where this contamination is coming from.”
These disclosures don’t settle the question, but they do confirm that concerns about contamination are a very real problem for manufacturers, not a purely hypothetical one.
Two categories to approach with extra care
Aside from the names themselves, you can generally protect yourself by being aware of two general categories of chemicals that often cause problems in safety standards such as the 2025 Green Seal GS-1 Standard:
The “Extra” Rolls: This category includes anything heavily scented or treated with lotions. These additives are not really necessary and can include hidden chemicals. The Green Seal standard even bans these kinds of additives in sanitary paper to avoid these risks.
The “Vague” Brands: If a company does not discuss their recycling contamination control or their whitening process, then it might be time to go elsewhere. Transparency is the only guarantee of safety.
What’s the safe bet?
If you want to play it safe, the strongest advice you can follow is this: look for the most basic products available. The current gold standard is trending towards Totally Chlorine Free (TCF) processes. This is a big deal, as the World Health Organization (WHO) has pointed out that previous chlorine bleaching processes have resulted in the creation of Dioxins – a type of toxic by-product.
The moral of this story is this: take a look at those with clear labels and a fragrance-free guarantee, and those with vague promises and luxury add-ons, and think of those as less safe options. It’s not about being perfect, it’s about choosing a brand that is working hardest to be perfect.