Description
A naturally occurring mineral that is crushed into powder for cosmetic grade talcum powder for both infants and adults. It has many other uses, including as a filler in soap, paint, and pills.
Talcum powders sometimes also contain boric acid, which can irritate the lungs, skin and eyes, and affect the gastrointestinal tract.
Talc can naturally occur with, and therefore be contaminated with, asbestos fibers, a known human carcinogen. Talc for home use is required to be asbestos-free, although there is no enforcement by government to assure that cosmetic grade talc does not contain asbestos fibers. The cosmetics industry claims that testing is performed regularly to ensure that talc used for baby and body powders does not contain asbestos, but that is not always true.
Talc can be acutely dangerous to an infant when the container tips over in a child’s face. The powder can suffocate a child, and may result in death. The same can be true of other baby powders.
Health Effects
Immediate Health Effects
- If SWALLOWED, talc is Not Available
- If ABSORBED THROUGH SKIN, talc is Not Available
- If INHALED (SNIFFED OR BREATHED IN), talc is Not Available
Longterm or Delayed Health Effects
- This chemical is considered an Unclassifiable Carcinogen by the World Health Organization, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, or another agency.
Other
- Talc particles may irritate respiratory passages when inhaled, and can cause fibrosis in the lungs. Longterm exposures such as those in occupational settings can cause pneumoconiosis (a chronic respiratory disease) and thickening or buildup of plaque or fluids in the membranes surrounding the lungs and chest cavity.
- Talc can cause dryness and irritation when applied to skin, and may cause inflammation if applied to eyes or open cuts or wounds.
- Long-term application of talc to the genital area may increase the risk of ovarian cancer in women.
- Talc (non-asbestiform) caused lung and adrenal gland tumors in laboratory tests on rats but there is no evidence that it causes cancer in mice.
How Exposures Occur
Contact in Vulnerable Areas
- Talc can enter the female reproductive tract and collect in ovaries when applied to the groin area or to diaphragms as a powder, or when products containing talc, such as feminine hygiene sprays and sanitary napkins (particularly the scented or deoderant type), are used.
Inhalation
- Children can breath talc into the lungs when talc-containing baby powder, body powder and cosmetic powders are dusted on their skin.
Solutions
How to detect talc
- You can search for products containing talc on Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Searchable Product Guide website.
- Read labels of products designed to be used in the genital area, especially those labeled as scented or deodorizing. Baby powders, sprays and powdery, non-liquid cosmetics may also contain talc. Avoid powders containing boric acid.
How to minimize exposure to talc
Alternatives
- For diaper rashes, ointments and creams are less likely to dry or chafe skin, and they do not pose an inhalation hazard. If you still prefer to use powders, cornstarch or other non-talc powders are a preferable alternative. When you use any powder on or near children, try to minimize the amount of dust that flies into the air.
- Avoid any baby powder containing talc. Women should minimize use of sanitary napkins and feminine hygiene sprays containing talc.
- Keep powders away from children. When changing diapers, make sure the powder is far enough away that a child cannot accidently knock the powder over, which could create a major dust cloud or could directly fall over baby’s mouth or nose.
For More information
Books, articles, factsheets and reports
Steele, M.D., Robert. Is Talcum Powder Safe for Babies? ParentsPlace.com, Health Questions and Answers.
http://www.parentsplace.com/babies/care/qas/0,,239150_100967,00.html
Bleifuss, Joel. “Take a Powder,” In These Times (March 3, 1997).
http://www.sfbg.com/News/32/25/powder.html
Schneider, Andrew, and Carol Smith. “Old Dispute Rekindled Over Content of Mine's Talc: A Contentious, 30-year Fight With Experts,” Seattle Post-Intelligencer (May 30, 2000).
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/national/cra30.shtml
Other government agencies
National Toxicology Program
National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences
P.O.Box 12233
Research Triangle Park, NC 27709
919-541-3345
http://ntp-server.niehs.nih.gov/
U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition
5600 Fishers Lane
Rockville, MD 20857-0001
888-INFO-FDA (888-463-6332)
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov
Nonprofit organizations
Cancer Prevention Coalition
c/o School of Public Health
University of Illinois Medical Center
2121 West Taylor Street
Chicago, IL 60612
312-996-2297
http://www.preventcancer.com/
Other websites
Because We're Worth it! The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics
http://www.safecosmetics.org
