The problem is that many times asbestos is also found in the mines from which the talc is extracted, so it may also end up in the final product of the talc. Johnson & Johnson stopped marketing talc for babies in the US and Canada
What kind of thought does the word talc evoke in you? We will probably think of a pleasant smell, of a feeling of softness and freshness, of cleanliness. Talcum powder for babies is without a doubt one of the products that in the past could be found in almost every home, and talc is also commonly used in the cosmetics industry.
However, the fresh and clean image of talc was significantly damaged following a large wave of lawsuits against the "Johnson & Johnson" corporation, which, among other things, also produces products containing talc. The lawsuits were filed by women who used it and who claimed it caused them to get ovarian cancer.
In March 2020, the American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that tests it conducted found the carcinogenic substance asbestos in a sample of talc for babies In products of various manufacturers that contain talc - including make-up for girls. May 2020 Johnson & Johnson has announced that it is discontinuing the sale of baby talc in the United States and Canada.. In an official statement from the company, it was stated that the decision was made due to the decrease in demand for these products, which was affected by "wrong information regarding the safety of the product" and the constant publications about lawsuits, and promised to protect the product against "unfounded accusations", and to continue selling the product in other countries - for example in Israel.
talcum powder. In May 2020, Johnson & Johnson announced that it was discontinuing the sale of baby talc in the United States and Canada
Talc next to asbestos
The presence of dangerous asbestos in talc products can be explained by checking the source of the two substances: talc is a natural mineral that is mined in mines in the ground - mainly in China, but also in Brazil, India, the United States and other countries. A fine powder of talc absorbs liquids and can prevent rashes and chafing, and it is also a relatively common component in powdered makeup products, such as eye shadow, blush, foundation, and more.
The problem is that many times in the mines from which the talc is extracted, asbestos is also found and therefore it may end up in the final product of the talc as well.
Asbestos is also a natural mineral. Asbestos fibers were used in the past as an insulation material and for a variety of other industrial uses, but for decades it has been known beyond doubt that inhalation of asbestos fibers is associated with an increased risk of developing lung cancer many years after exposure, as well as mesothelioma cancer. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has determined that exposure to asbestos can also cause ovarian cancer and cancer of the larynx (voice box).
This is not just a theoretical risk. An investigation by the Reuters news agency Johnson cited internal Johnson documents, from which it appears that the company's executives themselves were troubled, at least from 1971 until the early 2000s, by asbestos that was sometimes found in the raw talc and in the final products produced by the company.
Indeed, as part of its limited authority in the supervision of cosmetic products in the United States, the FDA conducted independent laboratory tests and published in March 2020 Most disturbing findings: The FDA selected 52 cosmetic products containing talc to represent a variety of product types, price levels, popular products promoted on social media, and also children's products. The tests found the carcinogenic substance asbestos in nine of the samples tested (43 of the tests were free of asbestos).
The tests found the carcinogenic substance asbestos in nine of the samples tested (43 of the tests were free of asbestos). Photo: Raphael Lovaski – Unsplash
It is important to clarify that the presence of asbestos in the particular sample of these particular products certainly does not mean that all the products of these companies contain asbestos. But on the other hand, this obviously does not mean that all other products that contain talc and were not tested in this sample are free of asbestos. One simple conclusion emerges from the tests: talc may sometimes be contaminated with asbestos, and this is a fact that should be taken into account when using products containing talc.
The FDA announced that it intends to test 50 additional products during 2020 (and the results will be published in early 2021).
In response to the test results, the Johnson & Johnson company claimed that the product was safe and that according to its tests it did not contain asbestos, however Company Still announced which collects back from the marketing chains 33,000 bottles of talc .
Johnson & Johnson's talc made headlines even earlier. In July 2018, a court in the United States ruled that the company had to pay 4.7 BILLION DOLLARS to 22 women who claimed that the product caused them to get ovarian cancer. Verdicts in other lawsuits where the company lost were overturned when the company appealed the verdict and won. But the wave of lawsuits continues and now about 19,000 lawsuits related to its talc are pending against the company.
Talc and ovarian cancer
Some of the lawsuits claim that talc caused the development of ovarian cancer in women who used talc in the genital area. Unlike asbestos, about which there are no differences of opinion, scientific studies have been conducted to test whether The talc itself Carcinogenic are not unequivocal.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies talc for use in the genital area as cancer possible in humans (Group 2B), while according to the US National Cancer Institute, the weight of scientific evidence Does not support connection Between exposure to talc in the groin and genital area and an increased risk of ovarian cancer.
The most recent and extensive research on the subject was published in January 2020, in which we examined information collected from 252,745 American women whose median age was 57 years. During 11 years of follow-up, 2,168 of these women developed ovarian cancer. 38 percent of all women reported some use of powder in the genital area, 22 percent reported frequent use and 10 percent long-term regular use (for 20 years or more), so it was possible to compare the group of patients with ovarian cancer who used the powder to the group of patients who did not use it, and check if there is a connection between using the powder and an increased risk of developing the disease.
The study revealed a small gap between the two groups, and it is thought that the estimated chance of getting ovarian cancer by the age of 70 is only about one-tenth of a percent higher (0.09 percent) for women who use powder in the genital area compared to those who do not. This is a small effect, which is not statistically significant.
Despite the size of the study (about a quarter of a million women), it has two characteristics that weaken the conclusion: first, the large majority of participants were white women, so it is difficult to learn from it about the risk posed to other population groups. Beyond that, the powder usage data was based on the participants' self-report, so it is not possible to know whether these products contained pure talc, talc with asbestos, or another powder, such as corn starch.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies talc for use in the genital area as a possible human carcinogen. Photo: wan chen – unsplash
אז מה עושים?
The lack of clarity surrounding the risk of using talc is due to the fact that laboratory tests sometimes find asbestos even in talc that is supposed to be free of asbestos. Adding to the lack of clarity is the fact that the scientific studies regarding the risk posed by the use of talc in the genital area are inconclusive.
A possible solution is to avoid using talcum powder for babies or talcum-based body powder. A possible alternative is cornstarch powder (assuming it is not perfumed with unknown substances, which may also be unsafe). When using baby powder made from cornstarch and talc, it is very important to avoid inhalation of the powder by toddlers' hands, Something that is used carelessly may even cause harm to the health of the toddlers.
You can also avoid powder makeup products whose list of ingredients states that they contain talc: for example, some blush products, eye shadows, foundations, and more.
The situation in Israel
The Israeli Ministry of Health, in accordance with European Union regulations, allows manufacturers to use talc in perfumes, and requires that the label of powdered products containing talc and intended for children under 3 years of age state that "the powder must be kept away from the noses and mouths of children."
The Ministry of Health responded: "According to the Johnson & Johnson company, the amount of asbestos found in testing in the US is 0.00002% less than the amount defined as dangerous by the FDA - and in additional tests conducted, no asbestos was found in the company's products. According to the Johnson & Johnson company, the cessation of marketing in North American countries is due to a decrease in demand for the product and not because a health hazard was found in talc. In the State of Israel, tinctures receive a license from the Ministry of Health before marketing them, receiving the license is conditional on the manufacturing company having a general tincture license if it is local or having a GMP certificate if it is from abroad. These companies are obliged, according to the conduct of adequate production conditions, to check the raw materials they use and make sure that they are safe for public use. From a sample test conducted by the Ministry of Health in February 2019, no asbestos fibers were found in Johnson & Johnson's talc.
The author is the founder of "Kaliria", an app that alerts me Consumer products that may harm health
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