Talcum powder and ovarian cancer
Talcum powder sold by even the most reputed brands have been shown to be causing ovarian cancer.
Several studies in the past had shown that applying talcum powder to the genital area might raise a woman’s risk of ovarian cancer if the powder particles were to travel up through the vagina and get lodged in the ovaries.
According to studies the risk of ovarian cancer varies from 30 to 90 percent by applying talcum powder to the genital area.
One study in 2008 study concluded that using the talcum powder as little as once a week raised a woman’s risk of ovarian cancer by 36% while daily users had a 41 % increased risk.
The World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer [IARC] has designated ‘perineal (genital) use of talc-based body powder is possibly carcinogenic to humans.’
Despite this manufacturers of talc-containing products, did not adequately warn consumers of the risks.
Now, thousands of women have filed lawsuits against manufacturers claiming the companies knew of the association between talcum powder use and ovarian cancer yet failed to adequately warn consumers.
The cosmetic industry uses about 13,000 chemicals, of which only an estimated 10 percent have been evaluated for safety. Users of cosmetics do not realize that cosmetics can be brought to market without having to undergo an approval process.
Cosmetics are regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) but they’re not FDA-approved. This means that only after a product is deemed harmful, adulterated or misbranded will the FDA take regulatory action, a classic case of fox guarding the henhouse and that puts us all to serious risks.
The only cosmetic ingredients requiring FDA premarket approval are color additives.
While asbestos containing talc have been banned since 1973, some brands of talc may still be contaminated.
A safe substitute that can absorb moisture is cornstarch. Way back in 1999, following reports of talcum dangers, the American Cancer Society (ACS) and the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition (NOCC) came out with the recommendation to use cornstarch-based products in the genital area in lieu of talcum powder.
Do not use the talcum powder at all. It is not so much that the adult women use the talcum powder but it’s generous application to babies that in later life leads to ovarian cancer!
