Baby powder (or talcum powder) is a popular product choice for many women who use it for daily feminine hygiene. Yet this trusted household product may be responsible for causing a serious and deadly form of ovarian cancer in thousands of women each year.

Talc powder contains asbestos, a known carcinogen. When used on the genitals, these dangerous talc particles can travel into the ovaries and remain trapped for years. These particles can cause inflammation and lead to the growth of ovarian cancer cells. According to researchers, talc-containing products could be the cause of as many as 10,000 new diagnoses of ovarian cancer each year.

The Dangers of Baby Powder

Baby powder products, such as those produced by Johnson & Johnson and Shower To Shower, are regularly applied directly to the skin as an effective absorbent to help deodorize bodily odors. The primary component in talcum powder is magnesium silicate hydroxide (commonly known as talc). Talc is also the main ingredient in baby powder, medicated powder, perfumed powders, and designer perfumed body powder.

However, talc is toxic and its particles can cause tumors in the ovaries and lungs. Talc particles are capable of moving up the reproductive system and can become embedded in the lining of the ovaries. Researchers have allegedly found talc particles deeply buried within ovarian tumor and have found that women diagnosed with ovarian cancer have used talcum powder on their genital areas more frequently than healthy women.

Studies Link Baby Powder To Ovarian Cancer

As early as 1961, researchers have demonstrated that particles similar to talc can translocate from the exterior genital area to the ovaries in women.  Additionally, a subsequent 1968 baby powder study concluded that talc contained asbestos-like fibers.

One review of data reported in the Cancer Prevention Research medical journal indicated that women who regularly use talc-based powder for feminine hygiene might increase their risk of ovarian cancer by about 41 percent and raise their risk of an ovarian tumor by 24 percent.

In 1992, a published baby powder cancer research study found that regular use of baby powder allegedly increased the risk of developing ovarian cancer threefold.

Finally, in a 2010 Harvard study, it was again found that women who use talcum powder are 40 percent more likely to get ovarian cancer. Experts from Harvard Medical School in Boston studied more than 3,000 women, finding that using talc merely once a week raised the risk of ovarian cancer by 36 percent, an estimate that rose to 41 percent for those woman applying baby powder on the daily basis.

These studies and many more have suggested that women who regularly use talcum powder on the genital area have an increased risk of ovarian cancer. However, despite this research, talcum powder remains on the market unregulated and without any health warning to consumers from the manufacturers.

Despite the mounting evidence of serious health affects associated with talcum powder, major manufacturers of talcum powder products do not warn consumers of the potential dangers. Additionally, baby powder marketing messages have traditionally indicated that its talc powder products are safe for women to use.