I used to use Johnson’s baby powder (which is basically talc) twice a day to smell fresh and feel dry and smooth (I’m a sweaty and damp guy). I use it much less now—maybe only one or twice a year—but I still have three nearly full 23-ounce bottles of it.
There have been a lot of stories lately that talcum powder often contains asbestos in it, which the companies don’t bother to warn about or separate, and this can contribute to cancer.
So, should I just throw out my remaining talcum powder? Is there any way of ascertaining whether my talcum powder has asbestos in it?
I say keep it and use it. But, hey what do I know? They throw it around at football games, for what reason I couldn’t tell you. You could donate it to a cheer coach.
The singular ‘toxicity’ of trace amounts of asbestosis is a tumor called a mesiothelioma. I emphasize the word trace. This is known from studies of spouses of asbestos workers who, by virtue of second-hand exposure to asbestos in doing their laundry developed this tumor. Similarly, people who spent only brief periods in the offices of asbestos-based industries also developed mesotheliomas.
Where are the mesotheliomas among Johnson’s Baby Powder users? AFAIK, they were all reported in a single, now-defunct ‘journal’. And, even then, they were isolated, sporadic reports where the possibility of other sources of asbestos exposure was impossible to determine.
You can switch to corn starch. As it’s not mined it would not have asbestos. The particles are also bigger and therefore should be safer. Most companies that make talc make substitute corn starch products.
I believe the asbestos risks from talcum comes from getting it inside you. (Babies getting powdered during diaper changes went on to develop ovarian cancer as women IIRC.) So I think it’s O.K. to use it on, like, your feet and stuff. Just don’t breathe it in, or use it near orifices.
In my experience it’s pretty difficult not to breathe in some when you’re using talcum powder. How would you smell its distinctive aroma of you weren’t breathing it in?
I had assumed that all baby powders and similar “talcs” had long switched to corn starch. But I just checked our generic powder and it’s talc. Checking online showed that some J&J powders are talcs as well. Hmmm.
I am reposting (slightly edited) and adding to something I said upthread (which was in response to thread title):
The singular ‘toxicity’ of trace amounts of asbestos is a tumor called a mesiothelioma. I emphasize the word trace. This is known from studies of spouses of asbestos workers who, by virtue of second-hand exposure to mere traces of asbestos in doing their laundry developed this very tumor. Similarly, people who spent only the briefest of periods and in the offices of asbestos-based industries (not the mines or processing factories) also developed mesotheliomas.
But where are the mesotheliomas among Johnson’s Baby Powder users? There are almost none. And those that were said to have occurred were almost all reported in a single, now-defunct journal. The nature of these sporadic reports made it impossible to exclude other sources of asbestos exposure as the cause for the mesothelioma (and that is a big deal because since even traces of asbestos can cause it, other sources of exposure is highly plausible).
In other words, there is no proof, and little reason to believe, that Johnson’s Baby Powder presents any health hazard. It doesn’t even cause mesotheliomas.
I get that legal proof and medical proof may be different things but I believe there is only one to choose. Finding hazards that don’t exist or that arise at a frequency which is indistinguishable from that of the background, validate the type of thinking that underlies the denial of evolution or believing vaccines are harmful. All IMNSHO.
*In 1976, the Cosmetic, Toiletry, and Fragrances Association (CTFA), which is the trade association representing the cosmetic and personal care products industry, issued voluntary guidelines stating that all talc used in cosmetic products in the United States should be free from detectable amounts of asbestos according to their standards…Ovarian cancer
It has been suggested that talcum powder might cause cancer in the ovaries if the powder particles (applied to the genital area or on sanitary napkins, diaphragms, or condoms) were to travel through the vagina, uterus, and fallopian tubes to the ovary.
Many studies in women have looked at the possible link between talcum powder and cancer of the ovary. Findings have been mixed, with some studies reporting a slightly increased risk and some reporting no increase. Many case-control studies have found a small increase in risk. But these types of studies can be biased because they often rely on a person’s memory of talc use many years earlier. One prospective cohort study, which would not have the same type of potential bias, has not found an increased risk. A second found a modest increase in risk of one type of ovarian cancer…No increased risk of lung cancer has been reported with the use of cosmetic talcum powder.*
So, IF you used talcum powder back in the 70s (and before) and used it in the female genital area, you might be at a slightly higher risk.
If you have only used it in the last couple of decades, you should be fine.
Now that companies that produced asbestos for commercial applications have paid out $$$$ for mesothelioma claims (and gone into bankruptcy), lawyers have moved on to products like talc that were allegedly contaminated with small amounts of asbestos fibers of types not as strongly linked with cancer (i.e. mesothelioma).
I found one recent study debunking a talc-mesothelioma connection (it utilized National Cancer Institute data but was authored by members of a group involved in asbestos lawsuit defense); meanwhile another recent study concluding that asbestos-contaminated talc did pose a cancer risk was paid for by attorneys involved in asbestos litigation (the article didn’t specify whether they were plaintiffs’ attorneys or not, but it seems likely that was the case).
I gather that the science is not entirely settled, but I wouldn’t run out and buy Johnson & Johnson stock. And if it was me, I probably would do without talc products (though the risk is probably very low).