Andrea asks…Is talc bad for you?
The Right Brain Replies:
No Andrea, talk is not bad for you. In fact there is no research at all showing any correlation between speech and the health of your skin and hair, therefore we believe that…what? Oh, TALC, not talk. Sorry, let’s start over…
Talc causes cancer
Or at least that’s what some people say. It doesn’t take much web-searching to find an article like this one that claims talc cause ovarian cancer. This article sites a scientific study and then concludes, and we quote:
Researchers have found talc particles in ovarian tumors and have found that women with ovarian cancer have used talcum powder in their genital area more frequently than healthy women.
That sounds pretty scary! But we looked up the journal that this article referenced and when we read it carefully it’s easy to see that that’s not exactly the conclusion of the researchers. Let’s examine it to see what the researchers REALLY did in the study and what their results were*:
1) First, how was talc applied in this study?
Either by direct application to the perineal area after bathing, application to sanitary napkin, or application to a diaphram before storage. This study was NOT concerned with talc applied to the legs, arms, etc.
2) What kind of talc products were studied?
There were three types of talc containing powders in this study: a) regular baby powder (which contains just talc and fragrance), b) deodorant powders (which contain talc, deodorizing ingredients, and other minerals including silica, and c) “other” talc containing powders.
3) What did their results show?
The study showed that the dedorant powders had the highest correlation to ovarian cancer. Why? They theorize that perhaps it’s related to the deodorizing ingredients or to the silica which has been shown to contain mineral fibers like HAVE been linked to cancer.
5) What was the researchers’ conclusion?
The authors state that more tests are necessary before drawing a final conclusion.
The Beauty Brains bottom line
Is talc bad for you? In the researcher’s own words, the evidence that suggests it can contribute to ovarian cancer is inconclusive. So, there are two key things to learn from today’s post:
1) Testing is inconclusive, but if you’re worried about getting cancer from talc containing products, don’t apply them to your “private parts.”
2) Be very, very careful when interpreting any article that makes a scientific conculsion unless you’ve read the source article yourself and you fully understand it. It’s very easy to for someone else to misinterpret scientific studies of this type and twist the results to make their own point.
*Source: Harlow BL, Cramer DW, Bell DA, Welch WR. “Perineal exposure to talc and ovarian cancer risk.” Obstetrics & Gynecology, 80: 19-26, 1992.
Two final comments:
At one time talc contained traces of asbestos fibers that have been linked to cancer. So any study involving talc should note if it involves the non-asbestiform talc or not.
There is also concern that talc causes lung cancer but we can deal with that in a future post.
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At last a voice of sanity stating the facts about talc and dispelling all the misleading, unsubstantiated horror stories one keeps reading about the health dangers of talc. Thank you for your voice of reason!
Too much of anything is never good. You can even die from drinking too much water! Check that out online. I think its good to practice a general precaution with any product. Use in limitation. All the advances we have today are because of chemistry/pharmaceuticals etc. We have to be doing something right with the extended life lines. Just use precaution.
I use the stuff on my hair all the time so I’m a bit concerned about the lung cancer connection. I’d never heard about the other issues.
According to the American Cancer Society, the link to lung cancer is largely based on industrial grade talc that contains asbestos and silica, not purified talc like you get in the drugstore nowadays. And even the studies of such industrial exposures have not been conclusive (some suggest increased lung cancer rates and others don’t). Putting all that together, I think it’s safe to say a bit of cosmetic grade powder in your hair isn’t going to do anything. I use it on my feet everyday.
Yikes! I don’t use talc on a regular basis, but say once every year or less I have been known to use baby powder whenever I get irritated “down there.” Since I don’t wear tampons, pads tend to cause something similar to a diaper rash even though I change them frequently. Also, when I was younger my mother would always use baby powder on me “down there” if I had itching or a UTC. I NEVER use anything in those regions though to mask any scent, since I don’t really have that problem. I would rather be safe and sorry though so I will not be using baby powder with talc in that area as a remedy for UTC’s, irritated skin, or yeast infections.
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