According to an analysis performed by Mesowatch, the number of senior women in the United States dying from mesothelioma — a fatal form of cancer caused by exposure to deadly asbestos — rose by an alarming 25.5% from 1999 to 2020.
From 1999 to 2020, deaths from malignant mesothelioma in U.S. women adults increased from 489 to 614. The largest yearly increase was from 569 deaths in 2016 to 672 deaths in 2017, an increase of 18.1%.
These numbers prove that the victims of this aggressive and deadly form of cancer are not just workers from manly industries like construction work, firefighting, or mining. The statistics also highlight the need for additional research and better preventive strategies in this important area of women’s health — particularly among those 50 years or older, considering that mesothelioma has a latency period of between 20-30 years.
Occupational and Secondary Asbestos Exposure
The American Lung Association reports that women who die from mesothelioma are often employed in healthcare, including social assistance. According to the ALA, teaching, and textile millwork are among the most common jobs that come with a heightened risk of being exposed to asbestos.
Housewives whose husbands work near materials that contain asbestos also have a risk of secondary exposure to asbestos through the fibers from their clothes, hair, and skin. This is due to women laundering their spouse’s work clothes which might contain asbestos.
Asbestos in Personal Care Products
Recent headlines have highlighted the link between the use of asbestos-contaminated talc products such as Johnson and Johnson’s Baby Powder and consumer illness and/or death involving ovarian cancer.
There are some cases of women inhaling the powder as they apply it to their upper torso later developing pleural mesothelioma, which affects the lung lining.
In 2019, as a further example, a jury awarded Terry Leavitt of California and her husband $29.4 million in damages against J&J. Leavitt was diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2017 after using the company’s baby powder product from the 1960s and through the early 1970s.
In an Oregon asbestos trial earlier this year, a jury ordered J&J to pay $260 million to mesothelioma victim Kyung Lee and her husband. Her mother used J&J when she was a baby, she told Lee, who was diagnosed in 2023 at age 48.
Environmental Asbestos Exposure
Both men and women can be diagnosed with mesothelioma from everyday environmental exposure to asbestos.
For example, in 1999 the Environmental Protection Agency began an investigation in Libby, Montana, due to residents becoming ill or dying of asbestos-related diseases such as mesothelioma.
The victims included not only employees of a local vermiculite mine that closed a decade earlier but also those who lived near the railyard where the asbestos-containing material was stored.
Dust from the railyard used to blow through the downtown area. Some residents even added vermiculite to their gardens as a soil supplement, not realizing they were putting their health at risk.
Hundreds of Libby residents have died from mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases over the years, even after a massive clean-up, because of the long latency period for these illnesses.
Asbestos in Makeup
The talc used in some cosmetics, such as eye shadow, face powder, and blush, is sometimes contaminated with asbestos. Those who use these products can contract mesothelioma by inhaling particles when applying the powder.
In 2017, independent labs confirmed that almost a dozen makeup products from Claire’s and Justice marketed to tweens were contaminated with asbestos. The cosmetics were pulled from shelves.
In 2020, the Environmental Working Group commissioned lab tests on two eye shadow kits. The results showed the talc in those products contained asbestos. Amazon and eBay removed the palettes from their websites, but both online retailers continued to sell similar makeup kits marketed to kids. Therefore, the EWG advised consumers not to purchase any cosmetics containing talc.
Avon, one of the most iconic makeup brands in the United States, was hit with a $52.1 million verdict in December 2022 after an Arizona woman who used the company’s face and baby powder was diagnosed with mesothelioma. Jurors determined Avon was 90% to blame for her cancer. This verdict highlighted the potential danger of asbestos-contaminated talc in cosmetics.
Fortunately, the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act of 2022 provides some protection against mesothelioma. The legislation enables the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to access safety records and mandate recalls for dangerous makeup products, including those containing asbestos.
