The FDA today held a hearing to investigate asbestos testing for talc powders and cosmetics. It’s the first hearing the FDA has had in nearly 50 years. The FDA announced that asbestos, a known carcinogen, has been detected in recent studies of products, including Johnson & Johnson’s Baby Powder.
Recent FDA reports have left some US lawmakers and consumer groups calling for more rigorous regulations and testing for the sake of public health.
The fact remains that Johnson & Johnson has stood by their talcum powder and hasn’t lost a lawsuit since (close to 17,000 lawsuits at the end of 2019). The company has maintained its test results for no asbestos, even on the FDA’s sample.
After decades of the talc industry mostly being allowed to self-police with little FDA oversight, that period appears to be coming to an end. Until now, the FDA has never required manufacturers to test for asbestos in the past. However, after hearing from the panel of experts, including testing experts, consumer advocates, and industry representatives, this period may be coming to an end.
The hearing mostly centered on testing requirements set by a few FDA and other government professionals. They have been applauded by public health authorities around the country, as there is mounting evidence that talc products become exposed to asbestos, and that they can induce ovarian cancer even at very low doses.
After decades of talc basically getting away with it (and the FDA rarely bothering to check), that might finally be ending. The FDA never once made manufacturers test for asbestos. But based on the panel of commentators that comprised of testing researchers, consumer activists and industry officials, it may be over.
The panel met and had a couple of recommendations. Above all, there is now a suggestion to consider micro powders that are small enough to be drawn into the lungs as potentially harmful. They aren’t asbestos as the industry now classes these particles as.
A government toxicologist added that, although there are many kinds of spear minerals, both asbestos and non-asbestos minerals can cause cancer, and also must be tested.
Christopher Weis, from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), also said there are talc-like curved mineral particles, or EMPs. These are not found by ordinary tests, and they are also hazardous. EMPs are generated from contaminants reduced by milling.
There’s also another expert mentioned by Reuters, Scott Faber, senior vice president for government affairs for the Environmental Working Group (EWS). Faber said the FDA’s back is on the honor system, in place since the 1970s. He also demanded more rigorous testing, and that the FDA start putting a warning label on talc that it can potentially contain carcinogens.
