Document GqmX0zKJwbzEVjn2RYE5oMEm

FILE NAME Talc TALC DATE 0000 DOC TALC059 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION Unpublished Report - FDA & Talc Cosmetic Use of Talc It has long been known that talc minerals are commonly contaminated with asbestos Fibrous talc miners in New York state were reported as having fibrosis of the lungs in 1943 an excessive rate of lung cancer in 1967 and cases of pleural mesothelioma more recently Early reports raised concern about talc itself as well as talc with asbestos minerals in it U.S. governmental researchers called attention to Fibrous and Mineral Content of Cosmetic Talc Products LJ Cralley et al Amer Indust Hyg Assoc J. pp 350-354 1968 which contained 8 to 30 percent of fibrous materials The use of talc on surgical gloves was no longer recommended after that year Merck Index 1968 p 1011 cited in Blejer and Arlon Talc and Carcinoma of the Ovary and Cervix WJ Henderson et al J. Obstet Gynaec Brit Comm 78 266-272 1971 was a concern raised by consumer exposure to talc A paper presented in 1971 reported that the Kaiser Foundation Hospital in Los Angeles had discontinued the use of talcum powders for any inpatient use H Blejer and R. Arlon Talc A Possible Occupational and Environmental Carcinogen J Occup Med 15 92-97 1973 This report also referred to a 1971 study by researchers at the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York in which significant amounts of asbestos were present in two brands of commercial household fibrous talc dusting talcum powder In August of 1971 FDA official Alfred Weissler organized a discussion section at FDA on asbestos in talc which was attended by almost 50 representatives of industry universities and government to L Adamson and S Lang Environmental Defense Fund Mar. 2 1973 I worked at the Baltimore County Department of Health at this time and received a letter from Congressman Paul Sarbanes observing Apparently the FDA should be taking a greater interest in the suspected carcinogenicity of talcs and the labeling of products containing asbestos 19 1972 The U.S. Food and Drug Administration proposed on August 12 1972 Federal Register to issue new regulations to require that talc used as a food additive and in food packaging be free of asbestos particles The next year two environmental groups petitioned FDA to take action on asbestos foods and drugs arising from talc use and asbestos filtration of drugs The asbestos issue thus received widespread publicity FDA Asked to Ban Asbestos Filters New York Times June 29 1973 The National Enquirer ran a story Talcum Powder Can Cause Cancer Nov. 5 1974 in which the world authority on asbestos at Mt. Sinai Dr. Irving Selikoff was quoted as saying We're really worried about the use of talc in the home because of . talc's asbestos content Selikoff's team published a lengthy report in which the presence of asbestiform minerals and quartz was cited as establishing a need for a regulatory standard for cosmetic talc AN Rohl et al Consumer Talcums and Powders Mineral and Chemical Characterization J. Tox Envir Health 2 255-284 1976 Selikoff's associate Arthur Langer said they found 2-20 percent asbestos in 9 of 19 products tested M Burros Asbestos Fibers Found in Baby Powder Washington Post Mar. 8 1976 Some products tested were asbestos and one was composed of cornstarch instead of talc The products were formulated prior to June 1973 Given the widespread concern over asbestos in talc by health scientists government and the media companies using talc in consumer talcum" products after 1971 should have been aware of the potential mortal hazard of asbestos in such products to infants cosmeticians and other users and consumers of these products