Cancer risks for talc users

A coalition of public health experts, doctors, and consumer organizations is petitioning the federal government, asking that warning labels be added to cosmetic talcum powder products. The petition addresses Mike Leavitt, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, and Andrew C. von Eschenbach, M.D., the Commissioner of Food and Drugs and a former director of the National Cancer Institute. Frequent use of talcum powder products, which are used by many women, has been linked to ovarian cancer. Women who frequently use talc in the genital region have up to a threefold increased risk of developing the cancer. In addition, many of the same productsâ€"particularly commercial talc productsâ€" are thought to contain traces of asbestos, which can cause mesothelioma cancers. The coalition is currently concerned mainly with the ovarian cancer risk, and is asking that labels such as “Frequent application of talcum powder in the female genital area substantially increases the risk of ovarian cancer” be added to all talc products. Both ovarian cancer and mesothelioma are particularly deadly because they are cancers which show few recognizable symptoms until the disease has significantly advanced. However, while discontinuing the use of talc will significantly reduce the risks of ovarian cancer, there are other ways in which people can be exposed to asbestos, so ceasing talc use may not entirely prevent the development of mesothelioma. The word “talc” is used to describe a wide variety of different natural minerals and rocks. Most of these are magnesium silicates. In general commercial talc is more likely than cosmetic talc to contain asbestos, but some types of consumer talc (and other products such as modeling clay) may contain traces of asbestos. An example is the talc-like powder in toy CSI fingerprint kits that were found by the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization to contain traces of asbestos. According to the federal Agency for Toxic Substances, tremolite asbestos may be present in talc (as well as in other natural deposits such as vermiculite, as in the case of the mine which once operated in Libby, Montana). Talc producer Specialty Minerals Inc. said that “Some commercial talc may be harder because of the presence of impurities and associated minerals such as dolomite, calcite, tremolite and quartz.” These commercial preparations are used in the automobile and appliance industries, and have many other uses. Lab counter tops and electrical switchboards of ten contain the substance, and it is used as filler for insecticides, rubber, and paints. (Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News)