Talc

Industrial Uses:

Personal Care Products:  Baby Powders, Body Powders, Feminine Hygiene Products, Cosmetics, Condom Lubricant

Purpose:  Dry Lubricant

Talc’s harmful effect on human tissues has been known for quite some time.  Long ago, its dry lubricating properties were used as a glove-donning powder (easy to slide on) for surgical gloves.  As early as the 1930’s talc was linked to post-operative granulomatous peritonitis and fibrous adhesions.

Talc…(on condoms) …may result in fallopian tube fibrosis with resultant infertility.  Questions raised by Drs. Kasper and Chandler in Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA 15 March 1995).

“A possible tie between talcum powder and ovarian cancer, long suspected because of talc’s chemical similarity to asbestos, was strongly implicated several years ago when a study found a higher risk of the cancer among women who used feminine deodorant sprays. The study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, found that women who used talcum powder in the genital area had an increased ovarian cancer risk of 60% and women who used feminine deodorant sprays had a 90% increased risk.” (Nutrition Health Review, Summer 1995 1(73):8).

In 1994, the FDA conducted a scientific workshop on the issue and did not find enough of a causal link to justify even a consumer warning.  -from the University of California, Berkeley Wellness Letter, April 1993 v9n7p1(2)  Here is what the FDA had to say about the issue in 2000.
Regardless of the cancer risk, consumers may want to avoid the use of powders, even those that do not contain silica, because of potential risks for other kinds of lung damage. In consumer education materials, FDA notes that “powders may cause lung damage if inhaled regularly” (FDA 2000a).

Tagged as: ,