Who can forget the soft, subtle fragrance of baby or talcum powder.  We associate it with innocence, purity, babies, and …..ovarian cancer?

That is exactly what a jury in St. Louis recently came to the conclusion after voting on the side of a woman from California claiming her ovarian cancer was caused by decades use of Johnson & Johnson’s baby powder.  The jury’s verdict awarded her more than $70 million dollars.  This came on the heels of two other jury verdicts also in St. Louis awarding other case claims of contracting ovarian cancer from the use of baby powder.  At this time, roughly 1,700 other state and federal lawsuits are pending against Johnson & Johnson stating they failed to warn the public of the link between talcum powder and ovarian cancer from research conducted.

Why talcum powder?

What’s driving the concern between baby or talcum powder stems from an ingredient used in it decades ago but was banned back in the 1970’s.  The ingredient was asbestos.  In its natural form, some talc contains asbestos, a substance known to cause cancers in and around the lungs when inhaled.  Asbestos is no longer used in talcum powder.

Talc is known for being the softest mineral on earth that is mined from rock and is ground into the fine powder that creates talcum powder.  It is made up mainly of magnesium, silicon, and oxygen.  The purpose of talcum powder is to absorb moisture helping cut down on friction, helps keep skin dry and to prevent rashes.  It is often used on babies for those purposes in addition to making them smell nice.  Besides talcum or baby powder, talc is also found in adult body and facial powders and a number of other consumer products.

Women have for decades used talcum powder in the genital area to keep it dry and fresh.  For years, gynecologists have recommended not to use douches, vaginal sprays, including talcum powder.  A woman’s vagina is self-cleaning as it contains healthy bacteria keeping the vaginal pH stable. If there is an interruption of the bacteria, such as using talcum powder, an infection could occur.

What does research say

To figure out if talcum powder causes ovarian cancer, it is necessary to distinguish between talc containing asbestos and talc that is asbestos-free. 

Studies over the years using lab animals (rats, mice, and hamsters) have exposed them to asbestos-free talc in various ways with mixed results.  Some showed tumor formation while others did not. 

Human studies have been done to determine if talcum powder causes ovarian cancer.  Because of who women use it in close proximity to the genital area (on sanitary napkins, diaphragms, or condoms) the studies looked to see if powder particles could travel through the vagina, uterus, and fallopian tubes to the ovaries. 

Again, the results from these studies have been mixed and inconclusive.  Some studies have shown a slight increased risk while others have found no risk.  The case-control studies that have found a small increase in risk may be biased as they often rely on a person’s memory of talc use from many years ago. 

What medical agencies say

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classifies talc that contains asbestos as “carcinogenic to humans.”  If the talc does not contain asbestos and it is inhaled, it has been classified as “not classifiable as to carcinogenicity in humans.”  However, it the talc is asbestos-free but used in the genital area, the use of it is classified as “possibly carcinogenic to humans.”

What should a woman do?

At this time, there is no clear answer if products containing talcum powder increases ovarian cancer risk.  Again, there has been mixed results from studies researching the use of talcum powder but there is some suggestion of a possible increased risk in ovarian cancer in women who use it.  Researchers have stated that there is not any definitive evidence proving a cause and effect relationship between talcum powder use and ovarian cancer.  No other forms of cancer have been linked with consumer use of talcum powder.

Over 20,000 women each year are diagnosed with ovarian cancer in the United States.  The one risk factor that is agreed upon for this disease is genetics.  Any woman with a family history of ovarian cancer or has the BRCA-1 mutation has a higher risk of developing it and should be screened regularly. 

In the meantime, women who have concerns of using talcum powder should not use it or discuss it with their gynecologist.