Latest Study Reinforces Cosmetic Talc, Mesothelioma Link

Evidence continues to mount that prolonged exposure to cosmetic talcum powder contaminated by asbestos fibers is causing mesothelioma cancer. Individuals using cosmetic talc regularly may be putting themselves at higher risk, according to doctors at Peninsula Pathology Associates in Newport News, Virginia. They recently completed the most extensive case study to date on the topic. Mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer caused primarily by the inhalation or ingestion of asbestos fibers. Peninsula’s study involved 75 mesothelioma patients — including 64 women — who believed their only exposure to asbestos was through cosmetic talcum powder. The American Journal of Industrial Medicine published the study in March, just five months after a similar study at the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell in New York detailed 33 other cases. “The findings of the present, and other recent studies, suggest that cosmetic talc may be a cause of malignant mesothelioma,” the latest co-authors wrote. “The present study supports the contention.” Mesothelioma Is More Than an Occupational Disease The evidence may help explain the growing number of mesothelioma patients — mostly women — who do not fit the stereotype of blue-collar workers exposed occupationally to asbestos. “Cosmetic talc may account for a percentage of the malignant mesotheliomas previously reported as ‘idiopathic,’ especially in women,” lead author Dr. Theresa Emory told MedicalResearch.com. Emory...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Source Type: news