Evaluation of the presence of asbestos in cosmetic talcum products

Abstract

Talc has been used for over a century in a variety of cosmetic products. While pure cosmetic talc (free of asbestos) is not considered a risk factor for mesothelioma, it has been recently suggested that inhalation of cosmetic talc containing trace levels of asbestos is a risk factor for mesothelioma. Bulk analyses of cosmetic talcum products were performed in the 1960s and 1970s, however, the analytical methods used at that time were incapable of determining whether asbestos minerals were present in the asbestiform versus non-asbestiform habit. The distinction between these two mineral habits is critical, as non-asbestiform amphibole minerals do not present an asbestos-related cancer risk via inhalation. As such, we evaluated six historical talcum powders using modern-era analytical methods to determine if asbestos is present, and if so, to identify the mineral habit (asbestiform versus non-asbestiform) of the asbestos. Based on their labels, the products were produced by four manufacturers and sold between 1940 and 1977. The products were analyzed in duplicate by two laboratories using standard protocols. Laboratory A analyzed samples using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and polarized light microscopy (PLM), and Laboratory B analyzed samples using PLM and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) with energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) and selected area electron diffraction (SAED). No asbestiform minerals were found in any of the products. Nonetheless, even if some historical cosmetic talcum products contained trace amounts (≤0.1%) of asbestiform minerals, any resulting asbestos exposure would be expected to be exceedingly low, and comparable to exposures from breathing ambient air.

Difficulties in establishing a causal link between chemical exposures and cancer cannot be overcome by court assessments

“…39 Still, an analysis using up-to-date analytical methods did not find asbestos fibers in six talcum powder-containing products sold between 1940 and 1977. 40 In that period, there was widespread exposure of the population to asbestos, due to its extensive use in many consumer products. 41 Furthermore, asbestos fibers were found in indoor air of certain buildings 42 and even in outdoor air samples from the 1960s through the early 1980s.…”

“…47 The studies are not specific for exposure, as asbestos fibers were not detected in six talcum powders sold in 1940-1977. 39,40 Association was limited to the serous carcinoma histotype 51 or to serous and endometrioid histotypes. 59 Widespread exposure of the general population to asbestos-containing products occurred until the 1980s.…”

Asbestos in Talc and Mesothelioma: Review of the Causality Using Epidemiology

“…Talc is used for various industrial and cosmetic purposes and has long been known to be contaminated with asbestos [1][2][3][4] , even though there are persisting legal based arguments about detection of asbestos fibers in talc 3,5,6 . The causal chain between asbestos and mesothelioma has been established in detail for over 50 years 7 , and the epidemiology studies concerning perineal talc exposure and ovarian cancer incidence show a consistent association 7,8 .…”

Characterization of Airborne Particles Emitted During Application of Cosmetic Talc Products

“…For example, the above-mentioned 48 min measurement window of the Anderson et al study [6] was needed to accumulate enough particle mass on the sample filters to exceed the detection limit associated with gravimetric analysis. However, most other studies report that the typical duration of talc exposure is between 0.5 and 5 min [9,10] and, thus, the influence of any “dead time” between application events within the 48 min time-weighted average reported by Anderson et al [6] is an unknown. (In this context, “dead time” refers to the interval between applications in which airborne talc particles have settled and air concentrations have returned to background levels.…”