Once again, the debate of talcum powder and health problems are back in media discussion as the pharmaceutical giant Johnson&Johnson (J&J) announced a global discontinuation of their talc-based baby powder products from 2023.
It has long been suspected that the talcum powder in J&J’s household product may contain asbestos, a known carcinogen.
For both the switch in 2020 and the announced switch made in early August, J&J maintained that the talcum powder used in their baby powder did not contain asbestos, and was making the switch due to reduced sales from “misinformation” on possible health risks.
These injury lawsuits have been paused after J&J set up a subsidiary company responsible solely for the liabilities, soon announcing the company as bankrupt after all of the lawsuits were transferred to the subsidiary company. This action sparked anger from consumers seeking compensation, with many accusing J&J of freeing the brand from responsibilities.
What Is Talcum Powder?
Talcum powder is finely grounded talc in powder form. Talc is a naturally occurring mineral, mined from the earth and composed of magnesium, silicon, oxygen, and hydrogen.Talc is the softest mineral on earth. Its powder has a soft and silky texture, and is generally deemed safe for consumption.
Talcum powder absorbs moisture and odor and can also reduce friction, making it useful for keeping skin dry and helping to prevent diaper rashes. Though talcum powder is used in baby powder, many women also use talc-based baby powder as part of their daily skincare routine to prevent odor and to control oil.
It therefore has many uses in cosmetics and personal care and can be used to absorb moisture, prevent caking, to improve the texture of a product, and to make facial makeup opaque.
Medically, talc is a sclerosing agent; it acts as an irritant and can close areas in the lungs that accumulate fluid by irritating the linings of the cavity, so that the cavity closes and there is no liquid accumulation.
Published scientific literature going back to the 1960s has suggested a possible association between the use of powders containing talc in the genital area and the incidence of ovarian cancer. Yet, these studies have not conclusively demonstrated such a link, while health concerns of potential asbestos contamination in talc have been raised since the 1970s due to the carcinogenic effects of asbestos.
In the environment, talc and asbestos naturally form close to each other, therefore talc deposits can be contaminated with asbestos, and it is difficult to separate, which is why some cosmetic and care products containing talcum powder are sometimes also found with trace amounts of asbestos.
Health Risks of Talcum Powder
Though talc is mostly benign for consumption, inhalation of talcum powder, particularly in babies, can causes wheezing, coughing, chest pain, and possibly even death.The asbestos found in some talcum powders have been accused of causing cancer and asbestosis in frequent users. Talc products have been linked with ovarian cancer and mesothelioma in talcum powder users and miners respectively.
Mesothelioma is cancer in the tissue that wraps around critical organs, including the lungs, heart, stomach, ovaries, and many more. It is colloquially known as asbestos-cancer, and mostly affects the tissues that line the lungs. Patients will generally experience shortness of breath, cough, chest pain, and on X-rays, there may be signs of fluid build up in the tissues that line the lungs. Ovarian cancer experienced by women who have been exposed to asbestos also primarily affects the mesothelial cells lining the ovaries.
Asbestosis is the scarring of lung tissue, specifically the tiny air sacs that partake in gas exchange. Studies show repeated scarring from exposure to asbestos can cause lung tissue to harden and thicken, resulting in poorer air gas exchange and reduced lung function.
Asbestos triggers inflammation due to its toxic properties. As a foreign molecule, its presence triggers inflammatory immune cells to activate and clear out the foreign material.
These immune cells will surround the asbestos fibers and attempt to eat it and break it down. This process is often unsuccessful, leading to dead immune cells and more components of cells containing asbestos fibers. This will cause a negative cycle where the cellular components will trigger inflammation in more immune cells, and the cycle continues, leading to scarring in critical tissues along the way.
Asbestos can also build up in lymph nodes; some bean-like and bean-sized structures located across the body. Many immune cells cross into the lymph nodes, which triggers more cells to get activated and attempt immune clearance of asbestos fibers.
However, the immune system cannot remain in constant inflammation. Repeated exposure to the same molecules can cause fatigue in immune cells. This means that in the long-term, increased exposures of asbestos can cause long-term changes to the immune response and may be a reason behind asbestos cancers.
Asbestos fibers also carry transitional metals including iron. Iron can activate reactive oxygen species in the cell and damage cellular DNA. DNA damage in critical genes can brew further DNA damage. This can lead to changes in genes that activate and suppress cancer. For genes that promote cancer growth, a change in their genes can further activate their action, whereas genes that suppress cancer may become obsolete after DNA damage.
Both of these changes can lead to further cancer progression, leading to malignancies.
Another study found asbestos itself deactivates tumor-suppressor genes—critical genes that prevent cancers—this can also contribute to cancer growth.
It is very well understood that asbestos is dangerous and the mineral is highly regulated and banned in most countries. But talc-products, though they are at high risk of asbestos contamination, see significantly less regulation.
There is currently no law that regulates cosmetic-grade talc and the FDA is not required to review cosmetic products and their ingredients, with the exception of color additives.
Further, the U.S. government considers products that contain 1 percent or lower amount of asbestos free of asbestos, and can be labeled “asbestos-free.” Therefore the only way to know if your product contains asbestos is to have it tested yourself.
Other Talc Products and Alternatives to Talc
Talc has many uses.Talcum powder is used in ceramics, paper, paint, and plastics as a filler to smoothen the texture and color of such products.
It is also used in powdery cosmetics and antiperspirants to control oil and odor.
For alternatives to talcum powder in cosmetics, starch and clay have been introduced into commercial products to replace talcum powder.
Kaolin clay can absorb both oil and water, and is commonly used in cosmetic and skincare products.
Cornstarch, tapioca starch, and arrowroot starch also have similar properties to talcum powder with a smooth and silky texture. Some commercialized baby powders contain starch.
However, pure cornstarch can increase fungal growth and may worsen yeast-based diaper rashes, so discontinue use if rashes do not improve in a few days after use.
There are limited recommendations on the use of the other starches, though studies have shown that tapioca and arrowroot starch can promote bacterial growth in the gut. When used on the skin, sweating into pure starch can promote bacterial and fungal growth and facial breakouts; therefore, it is generally recommended as a wash-off product, rather than for long-durational cosmetic purposes.
Baking powder is also absorbent, controls odor, and is also antibacterial. However in its pure form it can be abrasive on the skin, therefore consider mixing it with kaolin or cornstarch for a gentle finish.
