Recent years have seen growing concerns about cosmetic talc’s role in causing mesothelioma. But talc’s use in consumer products extends far beyond body powders. Talc is found in four of the ten most commonly used medications in the United States, leading experts to question the FDA’s withdrawal of a proposed rule requiring cosmetic manufacturers to test talc-containing products for asbestos contamination.
Talc Linked to Mesothelioma Found in Commonly-Prescribed and OTC Drugs
Recent reports have linked talc to mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases, and this has raised significant concerns about the safety of talc-based powders and cosmetics. But talc is also found in commonly prescribed drugs, including Lipitor, Synthroid, Prilosec, and Neurontin, along with certain foods, candies, chewing gum, and dietary supplements. That’s why the FDA’s reversal on standardized asbestos testing of talc-based products surprised and disappointed public health advocates.
The FDA’s decision to withdraw its proposal comes on the heels of the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer classifying talc as “probably carcinogenic to humans” in 2024 due to potential contamination with asbestos, the carcinogen mineral that causes mesothelioma. Dr. John Joseph Godleski, professor emeritus of pathology at Harvard School of Public Health, told an FDA panel he’d found talc particles in 90 percent of ovarian cancer tissue samples, with research indicating that talc particles can persist in human tissues for extended periods, and asbestos fibers have been found in 10 percent of ovarian cancer tissue samples from patients with known genital talc exposure.
Mesothelioma Testing Requirements Withdrawn Despite Safety Concerns
Expressing alarm about the mesothelioma risks posed by asbestos in consumer products, Dr. George Tidmarsh, former director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, has written that “there’s just been a general lack of awareness about the use of [this mineral] in our food and drug supply.”
Though the FDA says it remains committed to evaluating talc’s safety and necessity across food, medications, dietary supplements, and cosmetics, it withdrew its initially proposed requirement for asbestos testing of talc-containing cosmetics using Polarized Light Microscopy and Transmission Electron Microscopy. Mesothelioma experts say that withdrawing the rule shifts responsibility to consumers who have no way of testing whether products contain asbestos.
If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, the Patient Advocates at Mesothelioma.net are here to help. Contact us today at 1-800-692-8608 to learn more.
