Talc is a soft, clay-like mineral. Although its principal use is in industrial products, talc is also often used to manufacture products for direct consumption by customers such as ceramic tiles, clay, and pottery. Talc is also commonly found in rubber and plastics. In addition, talc powder is an ingredient of many everyday cosmetic and toiletry products too
Because of the conditions of production talc can frequently be found to be polluted with asbestos. Asbestos is a fibrous mineral that occurs close to most talc mines and it is also a well-known carcinogen.
From the 1970s up to the present, asbestos exposure has always worried people’s health. There is a direct connection between asbestos exposure and cancers like lung cancer. Therefore, users of talcum powder products must be aware of the potential health risks from inhaling asbestos or fine talc particles.
Threats Arising From Breathing In Asbestos in The Long Term
Over a long period of time, inhaling asbestos could cause your chest lining to become scarred. This lining is called the mesothelium. It could also cause scarring of other membranous linings inside the chest or around your heart and abdomen.
In partial contrast, for example, if someone is breathing in this stuff all the time then that person’s chances of one day developing a malignant mesothelioma tumor are increased. Continual users of talcum powder products raise their risk level for fatal mesothelioma or other extremely serious cancers.
Talcum Powder and Asbestos Contamination
Although asbestos levels in talc are generally low, continuous usage can produce problems. This sustained exposure is the most important factor that determines whether or not a person will get malignant mesothelioma.
Both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the World Health Organization agree that no scientific proof currently exists to establish a safe threshold level for human exposure to asbestos anywhere. The direct connection between mesothelioma and exposure to asbestos-contaminated talcum powders in consumer products has been established.
In 2014, a study revealed that talc manufactured by certain brands – such as Swiss Needs using asbestos fibers were mixed into the powder. If a consumer inhales these fibers, it might be potentially harmful.
Asbestos in the Courtroom
Juries and magistrates in the United States have awarded millions of dollars in damages to several plaintiffs for suits related to asbestos-contaminated talc.
Colgate-Palmolive
A Los Angeles jury has awarded $13 million in damages to a plaintiff who sued on grounds that her mesothelioma was caused by talcum powder products sold with asbestos in them. The products were made by Colgate-Palmolive, a housewares firm. Another case involving the same ratable product was settled out of court for an undisclosed sum in 2017. It was wholly unrelated though involved the company Cashmere Bouquet and cosmetic talc powder.
Johnson & Johnson
In general, Johnson & Johnson brand talc products have received the most press attention. Lawsuits were filed against Johnson & Johnson. They claimed that the company’s earliest and biggest-selling talcum powder brand contributed directly to more than a half dozen cancer cases, including lung cancer, malignant mesothelioma, non-cancerous asbestosis, or other asbestos diseases of the lung lining.
Cosmetic Talc
A broad variety of talcum powders commercially available for consumers as baby powder, body powder (often called dusting talcum), and even fruits as well as vegetables carry asbestos. Talc itself (in powdered form) is often used as a starting point in cosmetic products. The properties of the mineral make it attractive for several reasons. However, the advantages that talc offers do not in any way compensate for the risks that a person takes by using it.
Why is Talc Used in Cosmetics?
The powder sticks to the skin but can easily be washed off. Talc is very soft and therefore can be removed without harshness on the skin. Talc can bio-absorb oils and sweat.
Talc is able to absorb moisture and odors by also acting as a lubricant, it has become an important ingredient in antiperspirants.
Cosmetic products and antiperspirants made up more than 7 percent of the talc consumed in the United States in 2011 according to market data.
Risks From Talc-Based Cosmetics
With talc’s association with asbestos, using cosmetic talc products can raise rates of developing certain types of cancers similar to those of other forms. As a result, these concerns have caused the cosmetics industry to take more care in the processing and extraction of talc in some cases.
Talc Products that Contain Asbestos
The FDA also found asbestos-contaminated talc used in nine brands out of 52 cosmetic products tested over the course of their 2020 study. The FDA chose these products based on numerous factors, including price range and the number of products containing talc (especially cosmetic ones).
The study used polarized light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to find asbestos contamination in the products.
What They Found
TEM found positive results for asbestos in the following products:
- Claire’s Compact Powder style #83915-9, Claire’s
- Claire’s Contour Palette style #40194-3, Claire’s
- JoJo Siwa Makeup Set, Claire’s
- Contour Effects Palette 2, City Color
- Timeless Beauty Palette, City Color
- Matte Blush (Fuchsia), City Color
- Shimmer Bronzer (Caramel), City Color
- Bronzer (Sunset), City Color
- Johnson’s Baby Powder, Johnson & Johnson
The full results of the FDA study showed 43 samples were negative for asbestos. However, the results are not entirely conclusive.
Ongoing Testing of Talc-Containing Products
More tests of baby talc are underway, and new methods are being used to determine which products contain unsafe talc.
Greenpeace Case Study: Johnson & Johnson
A 2018 investigation found that Johnson & Johnson knew for decades that asbestos could be contained in its baby products. In 2020, the company stopped selling its baby powder in the United States.
In October 2019, the company informed the Food and Drug Administration as well as the general public that it was initiating a voluntary recall of its Johnson’s Baby Powder. The Company’s recall started after it discovered asbestos traces in samples from a single bottle purchased through an online retailer.
Cosmetics talc products other than talcum have also been discovered to contain a trace quantity of asbestos fibers. These fibers can be inhaled by an individual and in the end cause permanent damage to their pulmonary system. Consumers of talc-containing products need to know the hazards they are facing when using these items.
