Talcum powder is already controversial because of its possible link to ovarian cancer. Now, recent studies have raised the possibility of a link between talcum powder and mesothelioma.

Talc, the active ingredient in talcum powder, is a mineral that absorbs moisture and reduces friction on the skin. Talc has similar properties to asbestos, and those two minerals tend to be found together in nature. Although talc in its natural form contains some asbestos, all cosmetic products containing talc are supposed to have been free of asbestos since asbestos began to be banned in the 1970s. In a recent study, the FDA tested several talc-based cosmetics and found no evidence of asbestos.

Yet one study published in the International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health found evidence linking at least one case of mesothelioma to talcum powder tainted with asbestos.

The study examined autopsy results from a woman who died of mesothelioma and who by her own report used only a specific brand of talcum powder. (The study did not name the brand.) The woman had no known exposure to asbestos. Yet microscopic analysis of her lung tissue revealed the presence of asbestos fibers.

Three different laboratories analyzed samples of the brand of talcum powder the woman had used. Each laboratory found it contained asbestos. The researchers were able to trace that particular asbestos found in the woman’s lung tissue back through the brand of talcum powder she used and all the way to the specific mines from which the talc had been originally extracted.

Mesothelioma is a cancer of the pleura, the double membrane that covers the lungs and lines the inside of the chest. In the United States, asbestos is the only known cause of mesothelioma.

The disease takes a very long time to develop: patients today are being diagnosed with mesothelioma related to asbestos exposure from as long ago as 30 to 50 years. Yet once it is diagnosed, it is always fatal. Patients typically survive only one to four years after diagnosis.

Baby Powder Cancer Lawsuits

Even though talcum powder is supposed to be free from asbestos, a few plaintiffs have recently been successful in seeking compensation for their mesothelioma.

In April, a jury in Los Angeles awarded $13 million to a woman in a talcum powder cancer lawsuit whose mesothelioma resulted from her use of talcum powder. The woman had used Cashmere Bouquet talcum powder, a product manufactured by Colgate-Palmolive before 1995. The jury found Colgate-Palmolive had been negligent in its design, manufacture and sale of Cashmere Bouquet, and that the powder presented a substantial danger that Colgate-Palmolive failed to warn consumers about.

In another baby powder cancer lawsuit, a New Jersey court of appeals upheld a $1.6 million jury verdict for a man who also alleged his mesothelioma was caused by talc-based cosmetics.

Another earlier wave of baby powder cancer lawsuits continues over the possible link between talcum powder and ovarian cancer. Some scientists theorize that talcum powder applied near a woman’s genital area may migrate through the vagina, uterus and fallopian tubes and lodge itself in the tissue of the ovaries, exposing the woman to an increased risk of ovarian cancer.