What You Need to Know About Baby Powder and Asbestos
We recently learned that Johnson & Johnson, the manufacturer of baby powder, had known for years that their talcum powder contained trace amounts of asbestos , and withheld this fact from regulators and from the people who were suing them for cancer. Is it time to worry? Here’s what you need to know.
Why is there asbestos in baby powder?
Baby powder is traditionally made from talc, a mineral extracted from the earth .
Asbestos, best known today as the cancer-causing nightmare substance, is also amineral extracted from the earth . It forms delicate fibers, but it cannot be burned, which is why it was used to make fireproof insulation and magic tablecloths for medieval parties before cancer became common knowledge.
Talc and asbestos can occur naturally next to each other, so if you mine talcum powder to make baby powder, there may be some asbestos in the mixture.
How dangerous is asbestos?
Inhalation of asbestos can lead to scarring of the lungs. If you worked with asbestos, for example, mined it, or built asbestos-lined ships during World War II, or worked in the construction of buildings in the 1950s, you were at risk. Inhalation of asbestos is also closely associated with lung cancer and mesothelioma (cancer of the lining of the lungs).
As we discussed earlier, talcum powder is a completely different story. Science is somewhere between mixed and inconclusive. A jury recently awarded $ 4.7 billion to 22 women and their families who claimed to have suffered from talcum powder, but Popular Science correctly notes that convincing a jury is not the same as establishing scientific fact. Baby powder that contains talcum powder can be harmful, but we still don’t know for sure.
If I have used baby powder, what should I be worried about?
You and your child are probably fine. Slate gives a good idea of what we know about risk . There was never a lot of asbestos in baby powder, even when Johnson & Johnson hid its findings with little traces of it. There is also no evidence (yet) that any asbestos in baby powder is being sold today.
Your baby powder may also be free of talcum powder. When people became aware of the risks, many brands switched to talc-free formulations based on cornstarch. Check the label.
Should I stop using baby powder?
It’s simple! Yes. The only exception is, if you are using it on your own skin and really enjoy the sensation, enough to feel comfortable with little possible cancer risk, then keep going. It doesn’t make any sense to the rest of us.
It was originally thought that baby powder absorbs moisture from a baby’s diaper, and manufacturers still sell it as a thing that makes baby’s skin smooth and smells good when changing diapers. This is great for marketing materials, but what does the child actually get from the experience?
- A little bit of powder on his butt that does little to nothing.
- Minor danger to his lungs if it ever gets into a container of baby powder. Which, as a baby, will eventually happen.
The American Academy of Pediatrics discourages the use of talcum powder because it is simply harmful to breathing, even without considering the potential risk of cancer. The kid could (find) the container, shake it everywhere and inhale; plus creating a cloud of baby powder every time you change baby doesn’t benefit anyone.
What are you using instead? Hi grandparents, great-grandparents, I guess the only people who have read this far. Parents in 2018 are using this fantastic product called diaper cream . I swear by the maximum strength of Desitin when diaper rashes get worse , or their usual strength product for everyday use. Boudreaux A + D and Butt Paste are also popular brands. Switch to a cream and you don’t have to worry about what’s in your baby powder at all.