Doctors warn of cancer risk from talc, parents react with outrage
It is the longest standing lethal marketing con of the century. For years we read disturbing reports discouraging the use of talcum powder. However, as multinationals glibly lied for generations, new mothers reached out for the harmless looking soft white talcum powder to endow their babies with its idyllic fragrance. The multinational continued to manipulate its consumers with a mind numbing ad blitz, claiming to produce ‘safe and clean’ products’ while actually exposing their consumers to one of the worst known carcinogens. Now as Johnson & Johnson stand exposed to the fact that they deliberately concealed the results of reports that indicated high doses of asbestos in their talcum powder, consumers and health care providers respond to this revelation with outrage and shock.
Dr Sonia Wilson
Dermatologist, RAK Hospital
“People use talcum for preventing skin from chafing or keeping skin dry. However, as a dermatologist I can say there is no real merit in use of talc. I often advise my patients that they do not need to use talcum powder at all. It is more of a cultural habit and people use it for its good fragrance rather than any intrinsic benefit. Pure talc is a mineral that when mined often gets contaminated with asbestos powder,” said Dr Wilson. The World Health Organisation has identified asbestos as a carcinogen (cancer causing agent). It is known to mutate the lining that covers some of our vital organs such as the lungs and the ovaries and can cause mesothelioma or cancer of the tissues. Fine spores of asbestos that fly in the air as the powder is dusted get lodged in the respiratory tract and lungs, triggering asthma. “However, there are no conclusive studies to confirm these so far,” she added.
Dr Wilson also pointed out that the contamination of talc with asbestos is very common and causes several skin and health complications which she has seen in her patients.
Dr Yusr Jaffir
Consultant in Family Medicine at the Medeor 24X7 Hospital Al Ain feels finding a particular company guilty has only opened the controversy wider where talcum powder is being used in a large variety of products. “Asbestos is harmful but it all depends of the dose. Usually it was found to have caused lung cancer in miners and ship building industry workers who were exposed to large doses.” However, Dr Jaffir cautions that mothers who have used the talcum powder for their growing children might have exposed them to a long and sustained harm. “The asbestos in talcum powder is so fine that it accumulates over a period of time in our lungs, causing asthma, breathing difficulty and cancer. We have been hearing disturbing reports about talc from 1963 right up to 2000. I have always advised my patients to stop using talc especially when new mothers want to avert diaper rash in their babies.”
Tatiana Antonelli,
Dubai-based environmentalist and founder and Managing Director of Goum Book for sustainable eco development
“It is frightening to think that a company that had products used by our grandmothers has been found guilty of exposing women and children to carcinogens. They have broken our trust. It brings to our mind the question of who is protecting the rights of consumers and who can we really trust in our world today? For years women have raised their voices about talc being harmful and causing cancers. ”
Tracey Thompson,
Dubai-based, PR consultant and mother of one daughter
“I used this product on my own daughter when she was a small baby and my mum used it on my three brothers and me. It’s extremely worrying to think about what the potential ramifications might be. We put a huge amount of trust in leading brands and are even willing to pay a premium because of it. So, when this trust is seen to be misplaced, it’s extremely worrying and makes you wonder who you really can trust.”
I used this product on my own daughter when she was a small baby and my mum used it on my three brothers and me. It’s extremely worrying to think about...”
Tracey Thompson | Dubai-based, PR consultant
The asbestos in talcum powder is so fine that it accumulates over a period of time in our lungs, causing asthma, breathing difficulty and cancer.”
Dr Yusr Jaffir | Consultant in Family Medicine, Medeor hospital
It is frightening to think that a company that had products used by our grandmothers has been found guilty of exposing women and children to carcinogens.”
Tatiana Antonelli | Dubai-based environmentalist
However, as a dermatologist I can say there is no real merit in use of talc. I often advise my patients that they do not need to use talcum powder at all.”
Dr Sonia Wilson | Dermatologist, RAK Hospital