Look up from where you’re sitting and guess how many products in the room are known carcinogens, which are substances that cause cancer. We are likely to encounter more than a few carcinogens in our everyday lives. The known carcinogen list includes 116 different items such as alcohol, salted fish (Chinese style) and wood dust.
Talcum powder, from which baby powder is made, is indeed on the known American Cancer society carcinogen list. According to one study, one brand of talcum powder was found to contain traces of asbestos – another known carcinogen. The study found that “The inhalation of talc may cause lung fibrosis in the form of granulomatose nodules called talcosis. Exposure to talc has also been suggested as a causative factor in the development of ovarian carcinomas, gynecological tumors, and mesothelioma.”
According to the American Cancer society, 42 percent of Americans will get cancer in their lifetimes. If talcum powder is a carcinogen, research pooled from 8,525 cases published in the Cancer Prevention Research journal suggested that one out of every five to six genital baby powder users will get cancer from talcum powder.
In addition, multiple studies have linked genital talc use to ovarian cancer. One woman, Deane Berg, is one of many ovarian cancer patients suing Johnson & Johnson, claiming that the company’s popular baby powder product causes cancer.
One woman, Deborah Giannecchini, recently won $70 million in a court case against Johnson & Johnson after she claimed her use of the company’s baby powder caused her to develop ovarian cancer.
READ MORE: Woman Awarded $70m in Johnson & Johnson Lawsuit
In 2006, the International Agency for Research on Cancer lists baby powder as a possible human carcinogen if used on the female genital area, but as The New York Times points out that it also lists hot dogs, and coffee and frozen vegetables as possible carcinogens.
Researchers aren’t sure yet why talcum powder would cause cancer. There has been some research to suggest that crystals can get stuck inside the genitourinary tract, but it’s not clear what it would do once it reaches the ovaries or how likely this is to happen, according to The New York Times. Talc particles are also known to set off inflammation, and inflammation might be a cause in ovarian cancer.
Experts assert that the use of baby powder is not necessary. Breathing in talcum powder is not healthy for either adults or young children, as it can cause talcum powder poisoning. In addition, both condom and rubber glove companies have stopped powdering their products with talc out of safety concerns. So when in doubt, maybe we should forgo the product, according to The New York Times.
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