Asbestos in baby powder

 I’m watching a show about the cosmetics industry called Not So Pretty. The first episode deals with asbestos in cosmetics. Because asbestos occurs in the same geologic formations in which talc is mined, it often turns up in cosmetics. Also in baby powder. I never bought baby powder because I could never figure out what you were supposed to do with it. Apparently, lots of people use it liberally.

Johnson & Johnson, the maker of baby powder, is featured in the first episode of the show. Some women who had used the powder for years began to die of mesothelioma, a lung cancer, and also ovarian cancer (apparently some women use the powder on their privates). In autopsies, researchers discovered asbestos in the lungs of those who’d died of mesothelioma. As reported in one scientific journal, “Through many applications of this particular brand of talcum powder, the deceased inhaled asbestos fibers, which then accumulated in her lungs and likely caused or contributed to her  mesothelioma as well as other women with the same scenario.… In recent years, more than 10 women developed mesothelioma and their only source of asbestos exposure was the use of one brand of talcum powder.” In the  image below, the straight rod is asbestos. 

Lawsuits ensued. Despite proof to the contrary, Johnson&Johnson steadfastly maintained that their baby powder contained no asbestos. In fact, in-house documents as early as the 1970s revealed that company executives were aware of asbestos liabilities. Beginning in 1971, tests from different labs found asbestos in the baby powder, but Johnsons & Johnsons never reported the findings to the FDA. What’s more, they didn’t remove their product from U.S. markets until 2019. The product is still sold in other countries.

Johnson&Johnson is not a nice company, vaccines or no vaccines.

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