Evaluation of the presence of asbestos in cosmetic talcum products

Our plain-English summary of Evaluation of the presence of asbestos in cosmetic talcum products, by J.S. Pierce, A.S. Riordan, E.W. Miller, et al (Inhalation Toxicology, 2017).

The study

• Authors: J.S. Pierce, A.S. Riordan, E.W. Miller, S.H. Gaffney, D.M. Hollins
• Journal: Inhalation Toxicology
• Published: 2017;29(10):443-456
• Cited by: 19 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

Talc has been used for over a century in a variety of cosmetic products. While pure cosmetic talc (free of asbestos) is not considered a risk factor for mesothelioma, it has been recently suggested that inhalation of cosmetic talc containing trace levels of asbestos is a risk factor for mesothelioma. Bulk analyses of cosmetic talcum products were performed in the 1960s and 1970s, however, the analytical methods used at that time were incapable of determining whether asbestos minerals were present in the asbestiform versus non-asbestiform habit. The distinction between these two mineral habits is critical, as non-asbestiform amphibole minerals do not present an asbestos-related cancer risk via inhalation. As such, we evaluated six historical talcum powders using modern-era analytical methods to determine if asbestos is present, and if so, to identify the mineral habit (asbestiform versus non-asbestiform) of the asbestos. Based on their labels, the products were produced by four manufacturers and sold between 1940 and 1977. The products were analyzed in duplicate by two laboratories using standard protocols. Laboratory A analyzed samples using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and polarized light microscopy (PLM), and Laboratory B analyzed samples using PLM and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) with energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) and selected area electron diffraction (SAED). No asbestiform minerals were found in any of the products. Nonetheless, even if some historical cosmetic talcum products contained trace amounts (≤0.1%) of asbestiform minerals, any resulting asbestos exposure would be expected to be exceedingly low, and comparable to exposures from breathing ambient air.

In plain English

This laboratory study tested six cosmetic talcum powders, made by four manufacturers and sold between 1940 and 1977, for asbestos. The products were a facial powder, three body powders, a baby powder and a beauty dust. Two containers of each were bought online. Two laboratories each analyzed duplicate samples, 24 samples in all, using X-ray diffraction, polarized light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. No asbestiform (asbestos-type) minerals were found in any product. Trace amounts of non-asbestiform tremolite cleavage fragments were reported in some samples of three products, and the two laboratories did not always agree on which samples. The authors also took air measurements reported by earlier studies of talc use and, assuming trace contamination, estimated average airborne asbestos levels between 0.0005 and 0.004 fibers per cubic centimeter. That is within the range they cited for outdoor air. The authors concluded that their bulk analyses did not support the presence of asbestiform minerals, and that any exposure from trace contamination would be expected to be exceedingly low. They did not independently confirm the products' identity or talc source.

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 bulk analysis of historical consumer talcum products, plus estimates of airborne asbestos exposure calculated from air measurements published in earlier studies
• Who was studied: Six historical cosmetic talcum products, made by four manufacturers according to their labels, with manufacture dates from 1940 to 1977: Coty Air Spun facial powder, Avon Unforgettable, Cashmere Bouquet Imported White Talcum Powder and Cashmere Bouquet Body Powder (body powders), ZBT Baby Powder, and Avon Bird of Paradise beauty dust
• Exposure: Asbestiform minerals in cosmetic talc, mainly the amphiboles tremolite and anthophyllite, with serpentine (chrysotile) also screened for
• Main results:
  • 24 samples were analyzed in total. Each laboratory received duplicate samples of each product.
  • No asbestiform minerals were detected in any of the six products.
  • Both laboratories found no detectable asbestos minerals, including cleavage fragments, in the Coty Airspun facial powder, Cashmere Bouquet Imported White Talcum Powder and Cashmere Bouquet Body Powder.
  • Laboratory A found trace amounts of non-asbestiform tremolite cleavage fragments in both samples of ZBT baby powder and of Avon Bird of Paradise beauty dust.
  • Laboratory B found tremolite cleavage fragments in only one of the two samples of each of ZBT baby powder, Avon Bird of Paradise beauty dust and Avon Unforgettable body powder.
  • Transmission electron microscopy with elemental and diffraction analysis by Laboratory B detected no asbestiform minerals in any sample.
  • The authors' estimate from total-fiber data in one earlier study (NIOSH, 1972), assuming 0.1% of fibers were asbestos: an average airborne asbestos level across all simulations of 0.002 f/cc (range 0.0005 to 0.007 f/cc).
  • The authors' estimate from respirable-dust data in one earlier study (Hildick-Smith, 1976): an average airborne asbestos level of 0.0005 f/cc (range 0.0003 to 0.0007 f/cc).
  • The authors' estimate from total-dust data in three earlier studies (Aylott et al. 1979, Moon et al. 2011, Russell et al. 1979): an average airborne asbestos level of 0.004 f/cc (range 0.001 to 0.01 f/cc).
  • The authors stated that these estimates, which assume trace contamination, fall within the range they cited for ambient outdoor air without known asbestos sources (0.0000048 to 0.050 f/cc).
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that the bulk analyses did not support the presence of asbestiform minerals in these six products. They also concluded that, even if some historical cosmetic talcum products contained trace amounts (0.1% or less) of asbestiform minerals, any resulting exposure would be expected to be exceedingly low and within the realm of breathing ambient air.
• Limitations the authors state:
  • The authors did not independently verify the identity of the products or the source of the talc in them.
  • The reasons the two laboratories (and duplicate samples) differed on tremolite cleavage fragments were unclear. The authors suggested this may be because the fragments were present only in trace amounts.
  • X-ray diffraction, used for screening, cannot tell asbestiform from non-asbestiform habit.
  • The factors used to convert dust measurements to fiber levels came from industrial talc mines and mills. No studies specific to cosmetic talc mines were found. The authors described this as likely to overestimate exposure.

Topics

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

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Talc, Cosmetic Talc, Mesothelioma, Asbestos, Asbestiform, Non-Asbestiform, Habit, Amphibole Group.

Related studies

• Fibrous and mineral content of cosmetic talcum products — L.J. Cralley, M.M. Key, et al. (1968)
• Letter concerning: Burns AM, Barlow CA, Banducci AM, Unice KM, Sahmel J. Potential Airborne Asbestos Exposure and Risk Associated with the Historical Use of Cosmetic Talcum Powder Products — M.M. Finkelstein (2019)
• Evaluation by electron microscopy techniques of asbestos contamination in industrial, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical talcs — L. Paoletti, S. Caiazza, et al. (1984)
• 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)
• Cosmetic talc as a risk factor for pleural mesothelioma: a weight of evidence evaluation of the epidemiology — B.L. Finley, S.M. Benson, et al. (2017)

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