Even though talcum powder has been linked to mesothelioma, it is used both by consumers and industry. It is found in baby powder, cosmetic powder, deodorant, and other items around the house.
Mesothelioma is a rare and deadly cancer that develops from asbestos exposure. Companies such as Johnson & Johnson, who are involved in the manufacture of talc powder, have known for over 40 years that there could be asbestos in their products. Meanwhile, they have played down that risk to innocent consumers.
In the world of beauty, talc is just about everywhere. It is not an exaggeration to say that millions of people have exposed themselves or others to some asbestos fibers over time.
The outlook for the risk of asbestos contamination inside the home drew a pretty bleak picture indeed.
Talc and Asbestos Formation
The contamination of a talc body with asbestos is a natural process. Talc and asbestos are both naturally occurring silicate minerals. They are often found saturated beneath the ground. When mined, the raw talc can become polluted by asbestos.
Mining talc brings high risks of asbestos contamination to the material. There is no threshold level for asbestos exposure, says the FDA and the WHO.
How Does Asbestos-Tainted Talc Impact the Human Body?
Once asbestos fibers are inhaled, they can get down into the lungs and travel to the ends of the airways before hitting the pleural lining of the lung and chest cavities.
This lining is known as the mesothelium. The mesothelium protects many of the body’s internal organs. Mesothelial membranes have different functions and names depending on the organs they protect.
The pleura is the mesothelial membrane that lines the lungs. The peritoneum is the mesothelial membrane that lines the abdominal cavity. The pericardium is the mesothelial membrane that surrounds the heart. Mesothelial tissue called the tunica vaginalis surrounds the male reproductive organs.
Pleural mesothelioma is a cancerous tumor of the pleura. Two-thirds of all mesothelioma cases are diagnosed in the pleura. Mesothelioma can also affect the peritoneum, the pericardium, and the tunica vaginalis, although these cases are rare.
Mesothelioma Cases and Statistics
Malignant pleural mesothelioma is the most common form of mesothelioma. Approximately 2,000 to 3,000 people in the United States are diagnosed per year. It is an aggressive cancer, with an average life expectancy of 14 to 22 months after diagnosis. Symptoms of mesothelioma take 30 to 40 years to develop after asbestos exposure. Mesothelioma has a special affinity for the lung and heart.
Pleural mesothelioma develops when asbestos fibers are inhaled into the lungs. The pleura thickens and presses on the lungs, making changes in the pleura caused by mesothelial cells provoke breathing difficulties. Remove red-cell and white-cell counts from a plasma sample.
One in ten mesothelioma patients die of cardiac complications when the tumor invades the pericardium or heart. Other frequent causes of death are respiratory failure and pneumonia. Peritoneal mesothelioma can also be a reason for bowel obstructions.
Clinical Studies Linking Mesothelioma and Asbestos-Contaminated Talc
Several reports of tissue-extraction post digestions in humans and animals are due to the high usage of asbestos-tainted talcum powder for decades. Sadly, the results are now to be seen after more than 30 and 50 years.
A study published in the International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health in 2014 focused on a particular brand of talcum powder containing asbestos. The dust from this powder could release airborne asbestos fibers.
When one patient died, cotton-like masses were taken from the lung linings and lymph nodes during an autopsy. The autopsy showed that she had mesothelioma.
The tissue samples also contained asbestos fiber deposits. One thing this study concluded is that the “deceased inhaled asbestos fibers which then accumulated in her lungs and probably caused or contributed to her mesothelioma as well as other women suffering from the same kind of accident.”
Mesothelioma Associated With the Use of Cos: A 2020 Study On Cases
The source of malignant mesothelioma in 33 cases was investigated in this study. The patients in these mesothelioma cases had had no demonstrable contact with asbestos, although they all used cosmetic talcum powders. All of the talc-based products used by these patients were found to have trace amounts of asbestos fibers.
Toxicity and Contamination in Talc-Based Products
Talc is not itself a cause of mesothelioma. Talc, which is not contaminated with asbestos, is chemically inert and can deodorize and prevent lichenification, absorbing both oil and grease. These attributes make talc commercially useful in a broad range of industries.
However, the issue here with the use of talc comes down mainly to contaminants like asbestos.
A study by the FDA found that popular talc-based cosmetic products are contaminated with asbestos. In another study, conducted independently that same year and heading the Environmental Working Group, 15 percent of the talc products tested were found to have some level of asbestos in them.
Two of the products were popular eye shadow palettes and one was a child’s makeup kit. The toy makeup kit was the most highly contaminated sample.
“Cosmetic talc remains unregulated and on store shelves,” said Dr. Jacqueline Moline, lead researcher of the 2020 cosmetic talc study and professor at the Institute of Health and Outcomes Research at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research. She added, “Our findings show that these products, often used every day, were contaminated with dangerous asbestos, which has led to deadly health effects.”
The FDA doesn’t require that talc product manufacturers register their products with us. This means that the talc industry, while regulated to some extent, still allows for varying levels of contamination.
The risk of occupational exposure is not confined to those who work with asbestos. Someone who is exposed in their job may carry the fibers home on their skin and clothing. Over many years, such exposure can put members of a family in residence at risk of developing mesothelioma.
You can still die from asbestos exposure as a result of using either cosmetic talc products or baby powder.
