Lawsuits connecting Talcum powder and ovarian cancer have been in the news a lot recently. Johnson and Johnson is the company targeted. I think Talc is sold by many companies? I brought home a small bottle after my last hospital stay. The nurses gave it to me for a surgical tape rash.
I’m a bit confused how this was being used? I’ve used talc powder on my chest and between my legs since I was 10. Pretty sure most people in hot climates use it to avoid heat rash. It’s been a safe and proven product.
Were the women pouring talc into their vaginas? I can’t think of any other way this stuff got inside them. That’s never been a recommended use. Is it?
I lost a first cousin to ovarian cancer. Doctors caught it early and she had surgery followed by chemo. She didn’t do well. Died within 5 years. It’s a horrible form of cancer that often recurs.
I’d guess Talc is used by 100’s of millions of people? Not that many lawsuits.
I was skeptical, too, but apparently these lawsuits were decided based on the fact that Johnson and Johnson knew, for decades, that talcum powder caused cancer. And they kept on selling it anyway, with zero warning or anything. It’s not like they were caught off guard with that fact, like these plaintiffs were.
I seem to remember having seen a disclaimer on some brands that talc [real talc, not cornstarch] shouldn’t be used down below. Having it in the general vicinity could lead to a small amount migrating inside. It’s been something I’ve been aware of [and stopped using talc myself] for many years.
From a recent comment in a journal:
“Evidence on perineal talc use as a risk factor for ovarian cancer is more equivocal. Talc, a metamorphic mineral composed of magnesium silicate that absorbs water, is a common component of genital powders. Naturally, talc has similarities to and co-occurs with asbestos; although early studies hypothesized that asbestos contamination of talc may have a causal role in ovarian carcinogenesis, later case-control studies reporting use after cosmetic products became asbestos-free in the United States continued to show associations.”
J Natl Cancer Inst. 2014 Sep 10;106(9). pii: dju260. doi: 10.1093/jnci/dju260.
Talc use and ovarian cancer: epidemiology between a rock and a hard place.
Wentzensen N1, Wacholder S2.
Comment on - Perineal powder use and risk of ovarian cancer. [J Natl Cancer Inst. 2014]
Article from 2013 - still an active area of research.
Cancer Prev Res (Phila). 2013 Aug;6(8):811-21. doi: 10.1158/1940-6207.CAPR-13-0037. Epub 2013 Jun 12.
Genital powder use and risk of ovarian cancer: a pooled analysis of 8,525 cases and 9,859 controls.
“In summary, genital powder use is a modifiable exposure associated with small-to-moderate increases in risk of most histologic subtypes of epithelial ovarian cancer.”
An anecdotal response: Not just a swipe with a powder puff between the legs, but actually pouring talc out onto the crotch of the underwear or onto maxi pads. Add in transference due to intercourse or masturbation, and I can definitely see how it gets into the vagina.
"Patting a little on the inside of your thighs isn’t enough to get inside a women’s vagina. "
Can see it happening. Not a lot, but some grains prob eventually transfer from touching self or others with hands, intercourse, pulling pants/panties up and down. Transfer to pubic hair (vulva) during all of the above - then wiping after urination can move it to mucous membranes.
I know someone who like to powder his bum like a pfefferneuse, some of that perinanal powder must get moved around during a day.
I know you consider yourself a bit of a female anatomy expert but vaginas and thighs come in millions of different size and shape configurations. As an owner of both a vagina and thighs, I am going to tell you that you are absolutely wrong.
I’ve known since forever that you don’t put talc down there, as it can cause cancer. Granted I’m only 37 so my forever isn’t as long as others but talcum powder is clearly not “safe and proven” and it’s not secret.
I’m 34 and male and I’ve never heard of a talc/cancer connection until these lawsuits came up. I thought this was similar to cigarettes, in which the companies selling it knew decades before the rest of us how dangerous their product was.
Where and when did you hear about talc and cancer? Is this something women know (because they possess vaginas) and men don’t?
I don’t remember not knowing. Certainly I knew it by 1993, which is when I had my son, and the baby books were full of advice not to use talcum powder on baby girls during diaper changes because it was linked to cancer. By that time, most of the Baby Powder on the market was cornstarch anyway.
My grandmother used talcum powder by pouring quite a bit of it on a big floofy soft puff and then, rather vigorously, tapping the puff between her spread legs. Doesn’t surprise me at all that some of it may have migrated up.
48-year-old female here, with a vagina, and I only started hearing about it in the ads. I thought, geez, hasn’t almost everyone used talcum powder at some point?
This claims to be “made with pure talc” and good for baby. I would not have known not to use it in a baby’s diaper.
I had a baby a couple of years ago, and I was warned by multiple sources never to use powder in the diaper. Not for the cancer risk, but because it can be dangerous if the baby inhales it.
I am surprised they are still marketing it for babies.
I’ve heard chatter about this for probably 20 years. There’s a big difference between using a little on the thighs to prevent chafing (which I have done many times) and pouring it on your perineal area for those times when you feel not so fresh. :dubious: I never thought the latter was healthy.
I honestly have no idea where I heard of the talc/cancer connection. I suppose my mom? I’ve only ever used Vagisil powder, which is the “safe” alternative.