Currently, Johnson’s Baby Powder is still sold on Amazon.com, which answers the question of whether or not Johnson and Johnson recall of talc has been recalled permanently. 

But what about temporary recall? Was there ever a Johnson and Johnson recall in 2017 or 2018? 

Surprising to many, the talcum powder used to powder baby’s bottoms never went through a Johnson and Johnson recall in 2017 or 2018 despite hundreds of lawsuits alleging that the company’s “gentle product” considered safe by moms nationwide actually contained dangerous levels of asbestos. 

According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer, and stated on the National Cancer Institute website, asbestos causes mesothelioma and cancers of the lung, ovary and larynx. 

Should Johnson and Johnson Recall Talc – After the Penalties?

One of these lawsuits against the company won and awarded $4.69 billion to 22 women. They claimed that the using Johnson & Johnson’s talcum products for several years – baby powder and Shower to Shower – caused ovarian cancer. 

Although 13.2 percent of this award went to compensate the victims (an average of $25 million per woman), the remainder of the amount was penalties to Johnson & Johnson. 

Yet Johnson & Johnson wouldn’t admit guilt. They reported that they stood behind their claims that its talc-based baby product is perfectly safe, does not contain asbestos, and use language to support this stance on their website. 

A Johnson and Johnson recall for talc doesn’t appear to be on the horizon in the future.

Additional lawsuits against the company for similar claims have resulted in verdicts that were originally awarded but then overturned in appeals courts. 

The medical studies seem to disagree with the statements from Johnson & Johnson in three major ways.

1. Talc is Inert and Safe

Johnson & Johnson states, “Talc is an “inert” ingredient, meaning it does not generate a chemical reaction when ingested or used on the skin” and that “People have taken advantage of its natural smoothness, safety and adsorbency since ancient Egyptian times.”

Scientists have rebutted this one point date back to 1999. That’s when University of São Paulo scientists studied what happened to talc once it got into the body in their study. 

The talc was delivered into the chest of 20 animals via a catheter. One to two days later,

talc crystals were found in every organ of all animals receiving the talc. The talc was absorbed rapidly through the lung surface. It didn’t matter how much talc was given; there was a rapid distribution of the talc into the body. This counters Johnson & Johnson’s claim that talc is inert, safe and chemically doesn’t react in the body. 

2. Talcum Powder is Pure

Another Johnson & Johnson’s website claim is that talcum powder is pure. It doesn’t contain asbestos. They also state, “The talc ore that meets our standards is then milled to a powder, tested for particle size and confirmed to meet Johnson & Johnson’s purity requirements.”

Again, the scientists don’t agree with these statements. Back in 1976, one of the first studies on cosmetic talcum powders analyzed what really was in talcum powder.

Twenty different types of cosmetic talcum powders were tested to determine their mineral and chemical composition. All of them were formulated prior to 1973. This is important because Johnson & Johnson’s talcum powder was sold on the market since the late 1800s. 

Ten of the samples tested contained detectable amounts of tremolite and anthophyllite, which contains asbestos, while some also contained fragmented forms of these minerals. The amounts ranged from tenths of a percent to over 14% by weight. Two of the samples contained chrysotile asbestos fiber. 

They were rarely the pure mineral talc – as Johnson and Johnson states – but instead were mixtures of various minerals. Only one of the five minerals was talc. The researchers commented on the possible adverse effects on health from the intermittent use of these products. 

Fast forward to the year 2015 where the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel in Washington, D.C. assessed the use of talc in cosmetics. Industry specs state that cosmetic grade talc must contain no detectable fibrous, asbestos minerals. If so, it is safe and should not be applied to damaged skin. 

So why should moms be using baby powder on babies’ with diaper rashes? Is it time for a Johnson and Johnson recall on talc yet?

3. No Association Between Talc and Ovarian Cancer

Johnson & Johnson states on their website, “The National Cancer Institute’s Physician Data Query Editorial Board concluded that the weight of evidence does not support an association between perineal talc exposure and increased risk of ovarian cancer.”

Perhaps this was at one time, but new evidence has accumulated against this statement. Take a look. You decide if it’s time for a Johnson and Johnson recall on talc.

Use Talc Daily and Increase Your Risk of Cancer

Another study three years earlier from Columbia University in the OB/GYN department is further support against Johnsons & Johnson’s claim that talc is safe and doesn’t cause ovarian cancer.

Doctors removed the ovaries of 24 women and demonstrated talc had accumulated in the ovaries. They proved that talc can reach the upper genital tract if used for dusting the genitals or on sanitary pads. The more talcum powder you use, the greater your chances of developing ovarian cancer. 

How much evidence is needed to create the case? When should Johnson and Johnson recall talc?

Three Times More Cancer From Talc

In 2009 at the Keck School of Medicine. doctors found that the risk of developing ovarian cancer increased significantly with increasing frequency and duration of talc use compared to never users.  Their studies were population-based case control studies.  

Women who were talc users and had endometriosis showed a three-fold increased risk of ovarian cancer. 

Increase in Cancer in Postmenopausal Women

In 2010, doctors and researchers at Harvard and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston together analyzed the association between invasive endometrial adenocarcinoma (ovarian cancer) in 599 cases of using women diagnosed between 1982 and 2004. 

A positive association was observed among postmenopausal women. Regular use of talcum powder (at least once a week) was associated with a 24% increase in risk. They concluded that perineal talcum powder use increases the risk of endometrial cancer, particularly among postmenopausal women. 

Very Specific Type of Ovarian Cancer Linked to Talc

This study totally goes against what Johnson & Johnson state on their website. 

In 2018, doctors at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York ran a meta-analysis of epidemiological studies on the link between talc powders and ovarian cancer. 

They found a statistically significant association between genital use of talc and ovarian cancer. The type of ovarian cancer that talc caused was serous carcinoma and related to how much talc the women used. High uses of talc correlated with high levels of ovarian cancer. 

Australian Scientists Confirm the Same Thing

In 2018, Australian doctors from the University of Sydney ran a meta-analysis to evaluate the use of talc and risk of ovarian cancer.

They found 24 case-control studies (13,421 cases) and 3 cohort studies (890 cases, 181,860 person-years) that met their strict requirements. Their analysis results were well defined:  any use of talc in the genitals was associated with increased risk of ovarian cancer. 

The cohort studies uncovered an association between talc use and invasive serous type ovarian cancer. 

Expect Changes in Public Awareness to Occur Rapidly

Over the last 10 years, every one of Johnson & Johnson’s assertions have been questioned by scientists in the U.S. as well as in other countries. 

And now they are moving into a whole new upgraded level of testing that proves the presence of genetic changes from talc, changes in normal cells of the ovaries, and changes in the overall environment of the reproductive tissues. This new level is verified with advanced testing methods such as electron microscopy, x-ray analysis and other methods. 

You Can’t Ignore Genetic Testing Results

In 2015, researchers from universities in Turkey showed the world they were ahead of the game in scientific methods to study the connection of talc and ovarian cancer. They studied what happens to genes when ovarian cells are exposed to talc. 

The results were not pretty. Their conclusion was that talcum powder was toxic to ovarian tissue in rats, affecting genes negatively.

It’s difficult to believe that Johnson & Johnson won’t recall talcum powder based on all this evidence. However, in the meantime, we each have to think for ourselves. One way to start the process is to consider talcum powder substitutes.

Talcum Powder Alternatives

What can you use if you want a talcum powder substitute and don’t want to take any risk whatsoever with your child or yourself? There are five alternatives you might want to check into. 

Two of these talcum powder alternatives have been studied; the others are natural talcum powder substitutes thought to be safe by moms focused n “natural healing” types of living habits.

1. Zinc Oxide Cream

In a Thai study, 50 infants between 5 and 12 months old were given talcum powder or the talcum powder substitute of zinc oxide cream daily on their bottom for diaper dermatitis for 8 weeks. 

Those in the zinc oxide group saw differences in dermatitis in 3.7 days as opposed to 2.7 days with the talc. This wasn’t that much of a difference and it didn’t give the talcum powder substitute a bad rap. 

Although the zinc oxide cream took longer to heal the dermatitis – 39 days as opposed to 19 days, the researchers calculated the hazards of using the talc to be 5.3 times greater risk than the zinc oxide. Overall, the scientists believe that zinc oxide cream is a suitable talcum powder substitute.

2. Corn Starch

Diaper dermatitis develops easily in babies because of extra moisture on the skin, increased pH of the skin (usually due to exposure to urine), and exposure to irritants from urine and feces. 

Barrier creams such as talcum powder have a role in preventing and treating diaper dermatitis. 

In one study, a corn starch product was used as a test to see if it would be effective as a talcum powder alternative in 52 diaper-wearing infants and toddlers. 

The corn starch product prevented about 70% of the test dye from reaching the skin surface, showing an ability to aid the skin barrier. There were no side effects and parents’ responses to the talcum powder substitute product were overwhelmingly positive. Pediatricians in the study declared the corn starch product safe and effective for helping prevent diaper dermatitis.

Researchers from an earlier study in 2000 at the Toxicology Program at the American Health Foundation in New York had good news to moms for corn starch as a talcum powder substitute. They concluded that when applied on baby’s bottoms (perineal application), corn starch shouldn’t be a risk factor for ovarian cancer. However, talcum powder was a potential causative factor in ovarian cancer.

And a study earlier, in 1984, showed that cornstarch and talc both minimized friction injuries on the skin. Both also could be counted on for keeping down the numbers of Candida yeast growth on the skin.

3. Oatmeal or Ground Oats

Natural healing advocates like taking rolled oats, grinding them, and then adding them to a hot bath – or a baby’s bottom. The oats on the baby’s bottom will soak up the excess moisture of the skin, provide some nutritive value to the skin along with healing properties, and decrease the inflammation that may be occurring from diaper rash. 

4. Slippery Elm Bark Herb Powder

Slippery elm bark powder is an herb that is called a demulcent. It’s gentle enough for babies to eat every day and calms down irritated tissues in the GI tract and other mucosal membranes of the body. 

Slippery elm is a suitable talcum powder alternative because moms have used on baby’s diaper rashes for hundreds of years. The herb is simply dusted on the baby’s buttocks and genital areas. It is not toxic in any way.

5. Marshmallow Root Herb Powder

Marshmallow root powder is also a demulcent, and frequently used as a substitute for slippery elm. Thus, it could also be dusted on a baby’s bottom and genitals and used as a talcum powder substitute. 

Sources:

Werebe, E.C., et al. Systemic distribution of talc after intrapleural administration in rats. Chest 1999 Jan;115(1):190-3. 

Heller, D.S., et al. The relationship between perineal cosmetic talc usage and ovarian talc particle burden. Am J Obstet Gynecol 1996 May;174(5):1507-10.

Rohl, A.N., et al. Consumer talcums and powders: mineral and chemical characterization. J Toxicol Environ Health 1976 Nov;2(2):255-84. 

Fiume, M.M., et al. Safety assessment of talc as used in cosmetics. Int J Toxicol 2015 Jul-Aug;34(1 Suppl):66S-129S. 

Heller, D.S., et al. The relationship between perineal cosmetic talc usage and ovarian talc particle burden. Am J Obstet Gynecol 1996 May;174(5):1507-10.

Wu, A.H., et al. markers of inflammation and risk of ovarian cancer in Los Angeles County. Int J Cancer 2009 mar 15;124(6):1409-15. 

Karageorgi, S., et al. Perineal use of talcum powder and endometrial cancer risk. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2010 May; 19(5):1269-75

Berge, W., et al. Genital use of talc and risk of ovarian cancer: a meta-analysis. Eur J Cancer Prev 2018 May;27(3):248-257. 

Penninkilampi, R. and Eslick, G.D. Perineal talc use and ovarian cancer: a systematic review and analysis. Epidemiology 2018 Jan;29(1):41-49. 

Yumrutas, O., et al. Application of talcum powder, trichloroacetic acid, and silver nitrate in female rats for non-surgical sterilization: evaluation of the apoptotic pathway mRNA and miRNA genes. Int J Exp Pathol 2015 Apr; 96(2):111-5. 

Fletcher, N.M., et al. Molecular basis supporting the association of talcum powder use with increased risk of ovarian cancer. Reprod Sci 2019 Feb 28:1933719119831773. 

Girion, Lisa.  Johnson & Johnson knew for decades that asbestos lurked in its baby powder. A Reuters Investigation. Filed Dec. 14, 2018. Reuters Investigates. Powder Keg. Accessed online April 6, 2019. https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/johnsonandjohnson-cancer/ 

Asbestos Exposure and Cancer Risk. NIH National Cancer Institute. Accessed nline April 6, 2019. https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/substances/asbestos/asbestos-fact-sheet 

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