Asbestos in commercial indian talc

Our plain-English summary of Asbestos in commercial indian talc, by S. Fitzgerald, E. Harty, T.K. Joshi, et al (American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 2019).

The study

• Authors: S. Fitzgerald, E. Harty, T.K. Joshi, A.L. Frank
• Journal: American Journal of Industrial Medicine
• Published: 2019;62(5):385-392
• Cited by: 13 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

Abstract

Background: Easily available commercial Indian talc products widely used in Southeast Asia were examined for the presence of asbestos. Asbestos in talc products carry all risks of asbestos-related disease.

Methods: Using polarizing light microscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), electron diffraction, and X-ray analysis, multiple over-the-counter Indian talc products were examined for the presence of asbestos.

Results: Results In an initial group of five Indian talc products, one was found to contain tremolite asbestos. The second group of eight products was tested and six of eight contained tremolite asbestos as well. No other regulated amphibole was found.

Conclusion: Large quantities of body talc products containing asbestos are used throughout Southeast Asia and are likely to pose a public health risk for asbestos-related diseases, especially for the cancers related to asbestos exposure. The country of origin in which the talc examined was sourced for production is unknown to the authors, and further investigation to measure associated public health risk is needed.

© 2019 The Authors American Journal of Industrial Medicine Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

In plain English

This brief report was a laboratory analysis of cosmetic talcum powders sold in India and marketed as "beat the heat" products. In February 2015, five over-the-counter products were bought in India. After one tested positive, eight more were bought online from an Indian retailer: four from the maker of the positive product and four from another brand. Samples were examined with light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. In the first set, tremolite asbestos was found in one of five products ("ID Talc"), and repeat testing confirmed it. In the second set, the results section and table identify tremolite asbestos in five of eight products, although the article's abstract says six of eight. Amounts in those five ranged from 4.55 million to 59.9 million tremolite asbestos structures per gram of powder. No other regulated amphibole was found. Fibrous talc was seen in all samples but was not counted. The authors concluded that asbestos exposure in India and possibly elsewhere is possible through non-occupational routes. They noted the study did not examine health outcomes and that the source of the talc was unknown.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: Laboratory analysis (brief report) of commercial cosmetic talc products. Methods were polarized light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy, with electron diffraction and X-ray analysis.
• Who was studied: Thirteen talcum powder products. Five over-the-counter products were bought in India in February 2015. Eight more were bought later online through an Indian-based retail outlet: four varieties from the manufacturer of "ID Talc" and four varieties of the "IA Talc" brand. No people were studied.
• Exposure: Asbestos, specifically tremolite, in fragranced cosmetic talcum powders sold for application to the skin to combat heat and prickly heat. The fiber type is tremolite asbestos.
• Main results:
  • First sample set: tremolite asbestos was found in 1 of 5 products ("ID Talc") on both the first and the repeat test. The other four products (IA, IB, IC, IE) were negative on both tests.
  • Second sample set: tremolite asbestos was identified in 5 of 8 products, namely ID.4, IA.1, IA.2, IA.3 and IA.4. It was not found in ID.1, ID.2 or ID.3. All four IA-brand varieties in this set were positive, although the original "IA Talc" product in the first set was negative.
  • Total tremolite asbestos structures per gram in the five positive second-set products: IA.3 had 4.55 million, IA.1 had 10.5 million, IA.2 had 14.4 million, IA.4 had 20.4 million and ID.4 had 59.9 million.
  • No other regulated amphibole asbestos was found. Anthophyllite was not observed in any sample.
  • Fibrous talc was seen in all samples but was not counted, because no published counting method exists for talc fibers.
  • The authors calculated that, for the products positive for tremolite asbestos (sold in containers of 150 grams or more), a whole container would hold between about 600 million and 8 billion asbestos structures.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that asbestos exposure in India, and possibly elsewhere, can occur through non-occupational routes, such as personal care talc products, that had previously been overlooked. They called for policy changes on product safety.
• Limitations the authors state:
  • The study was designed to show potential health risk and did not look at health outcomes.
  • The authors did not know where the manufacturers obtained their talc.
  • Only the six fiber types regulated as asbestos were analyzed.

Topics

The National Library of Medicine indexes this study under subjects our site covers: Talc and vermiculite, Tremolite.

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Talc, Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Tremolite, Amphibole Group, Asbestos Exposure.

Related studies

• Serous Ovarian Cancer Caused by Exposure to Asbestos and Fibrous Talc in Cosmetic Talc Powders-A Case Series — J.E. Steffen, T. Tran, et al. (2020)
• Commercial talc and talcosis — B. Weiss, E.A. Boettner (1967)
• Asbestos in commercial cosmetic talcum powder as a cause of mesothelioma in women — R. Lee, D. Van Orden (2015)
• Response to RE: Gordon R, Fitzgerald S, and Millette J. Asbestos in commercial cosmetic talcum powder as a cause of mesothelioma in women. Int J Occup Environ Health. 2014;20(4):318-332 — R.E. Gordon (2015)
• Amphibole content of cosmetic and pharmaceutical talcs — A.M. Blount (1991)
• Malignant mesothelioma incidence among talc miners and millers in New York State — M.M. Finkelstein (2012)

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