Baby Powder, Carcinogenic?

[Pootattoo]

While shopping for a "personal shaver", I ran across this article by the "Cancer Prevention Coalition":

Risks of Talcum Powder

Anyone know if these people are for real?

I've always wondered how Superman's wife (A non-smoker) could have died from lung cancer

at the young age of 45.....

Could there be a link?

[Lanthey]

Somewhere on-line there is a funny list of all the things that "give you cancer" .... basically everything.

I wouldn't worry to be honest. If it were that dangerous they wouldn't sell it.

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=269512464297 (face book group with the "cancer" list)

[Bettypooh]

Somewhere on-line there is a funny list of all the things that "give you cancer" .... basically everything.

Too much of anything is bad for you, so the question really becomes "How much is too much?" Of course that will vary with the individual and their susceptibility to the exact item or combination of items involved.

I wouldn't worry to be honest. If it were that dangerous they wouldn't sell it.

I wouldn't go that far Large numbers of items once thought safe have caused disastrous results- DDT, Cyclamates, drugs like DES, asbestos, and the list goes on for miles. Almost all product testing is done by labs who have a fiscal interest in seeing the tested product labeled as safe. Almost all health-related organizations push in the opposite direction. Almost no co-testing is done, where the combined effects of more than one item is tested, even though we're all exposed to numerous hazardous things every day and everyone knows this You must consider the source where your 'facts' are being generated from and what they want those 'facts' to look like to you. You must do your own research. Only then can you make an informed decision for yourself whether the advantages outweigh the risks. In the case of Talcum powder I wouldn't worry unless you have a propensity for ovarian cancer or breathe in a lot of it. Whatever the true risk is, if it were not very small then more would likely be said about it. If it does become a hot topic then a re-think is in order at that time.

Bettypooh, the Emoticon-Restricted unhappy camper

(EDIT) Hey, I managed to get 3 emoticons this time; I wonder if they're getting their act together?)

[Mommy and Daddy]

Cancer has been proven to be caused by Human Papiloma and Human Polyoma Viruses - These viruses are common (75% of adults world wide are walking around with one or more strains of these viruses living on thier skin.)They lie dormant sometimes for many years waiting for the immune system to be lowered from some other causes (smoking, heavy metals, pollution, a really bad flu etc) These viruses are sometimes passed congenitally and do not cause infection for 20+ years, they can be passed by the slightest brush of the skin and the recently developed blood test is not available everywhere. Governments have invested so much in propoganda (anti-smoking) from over thirty years ago that they are now not prepared to deal with what has been called an HPV world epidemic. HPV is found in cancers of the head and throat, breast cancer, anal and colon cancers, lung cancer and cervical cancer. It is thought to have a link to digestive cancers as well. There is a vaccine that is available on a limited basis in some places.

I wouldn't worry too much about the baby powder.

[erevu]

If it were that dangerous they wouldn't sell it.

[Creepymouse]

NOT THE CORN STARCH POWDER

Real Talc is a ground stone, and if you breathe too much, it can't ever leave your lungs. That's why it can cause problems.

[Curious One]

If you do not want cancer, I can help you!

Rules:

1)Don't eat, ingest fluids via IV

2)Never go outside

3)Don't drink ANYTHING except perhaps distilled water

4)Completely disinfect your entire house every 30 minutes

5) Never Smoke, Drink, do any drugs.

6)Never touch any surface or person who is not sterilized.

7)Take regular doses of charcoal to detox yourself.

8)Never kiss, have sex, or any other contact in which body fluids may be transmitted.

9)Immediately disinfect any cuts or other injuries

10)Go only to a doctor who takes these steps, every other doctor is an idiot.

I could keep going but I think I lost a lot of people by now...I think number 8 probably was a turn off to many adults...

So basically... If you do not want cancer..

Never eat or drink, go outside, have any fun at all...And you will live a very long, yet miserable, life.

[Little Faerie]

Talc can cause problems in women, it has been linked to reproductive cancers as well, but as pointed out above, practically everything is carcinogenic on some level. Breathing talc over a period of time can cause lung problems, but so can breathing in just about anything else. Including artificially flavored popcorn oil steam. That one is actually more dangerous and proven to directly cause cancer in high exposures. Will it stop me from eating popcorn? No. Will I use talcum powder if I can't find any starch based baby powder? You bet your bottom. If we avoid everything harmful then our bodies cannot evolve to handle our own environment. It is necessary for the survival of our species. For example; exposing kids to the germs in dirt is good for their immune system's development. Kids who stay inside in sterile environments are prone to far more illnesses. Sun is essential to our survival yet too much can cause or accelerate skin cancer. The list goes on and on. So, play in the dirt, use baby powder, get a little sun, enjoy life! Your species depends on it

[babykeiff]

We have basically three options in life -

Option One - as suggested by Curious One, live life away from everyone and everything, and you might be around for a long boring time.

Option Two - Take extraordinary risks daily and enjoy every second of your life....

Option Three - Make a sensible compromise between option one and option two.

In actuality, everything we do has the capability of killing us, but it is our knowledge and the strength of our immune system that keeps us alive. The western world, with its nonchalance for a quick fix, is killing not only us, but the human species. Darwin theory proves that for a species to survive it must constantly change. Cancer and AIDS are the two great fears and threats of the 21st century which our intelligence can't defeat, but we will defeat, or more correct, mutate to eliminate the threat to us if allowed.

As others have correctly stated, baby powder is not the only item that is supposedly responsible for cancer. I would suggest that to avoid all problems, live in a bubble, but it is also possible to get poisoning from the plastic shell of the bubble, or from the metal container of oxygen supplying you air!!! The only sure way not to get cancer is to kill yourself.

[wolverine0012000]

did you know how many things around your kitchen are explosive? Flour, sugar, cornstarch, non dairy creamer, and various other starch products are explosive when aerosolized.

the point is EVERYTHING in life is a potential killer when used improperly. yeah if you breathe in talc everyday you may die of lung cancer. does it stop me using it? Nope. I live my life to LIVE not to live long. im going to enjoy my time here and make the most of it, not spend all my time worrying about this and that.

[WallaWalla]

Corn starch works just as well as talc.

And yes, talc is quite chemically similar to asbestos(both are mineral silicates), also of note:

Talc is sometimes contaminated with asbestos.[54] In 2000, tests in a certified asbestos-testing laboratory found the tremolite form of amphibole asbestos in three out of eight major brands of children's crayons (oil pastels) that are made partly from talc — Crayola, Prang, and Rose Art.[55] In Crayola crayons, the tests found asbestos levels from 0.05% in Carnation Pink to 2.86% in Orchid; in Prang crayons, the range was from 0.3% in Periwinkle to 0.54% in Yellow; in Rose Art crayons, it was from 0.03% in Brown to 1.20% in Orange. Overall, 32 different types of crayons from these brands contained more than trace amounts of asbestos, and eight others contained trace amounts. The Art and Creative Materials Institute, a trade association which tests the safety of crayons on behalf of the makers, initially insisted the test results must be incorrect, although they later said they do not test for asbestos.[55] In May 2000, Crayola said tests by a materials analyst, Richard Lee, whose testimony has been accepted in lawsuits over 250 times on behalf of the asbestos industry, showed two of its crayons were negative for asbestos.[56] In June 2000, Binney & Smith, the maker of Crayola, and the other makers agreed to stop using talc in their products, and changed their product formulations in the United States.[56] The mining company, R T Vanderbilt Co of Gouverneur, New York, which supplied the talc to the crayon makers, insists there is no asbestos in its talc "to the best of our knowledge and belief",[57] but a news article claimed that the United States Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) did find asbestos in four talc samples that it tested in 2000.[55] At the time, however, the Assistant Secretary for Mine Safety and Health informed the news reporter that his article was in error and that the reporter had misquoted him stating that “In fact, the abbreviation ND (non detect) in the laboratory report – indicates no asbestos fibers actually were found in the samples.”[58] Further supporting the claim of Vanderbilt that asbestos is not found in this industrial grade talc (composed of a very complex mineral mixture) is a decades old record of analytical work that does not find asbestos in this talc by mineral scientists in academia, government and contract laboratories. [59][60][61][62][63][64][65][66][67]

Human, animal and cell health studies conducted on Vanderbilt’s controversial talc also lend no support for the presence of asbestos in this talc.[68][69][70][71][72][73][74][75][76][77] Several non fully peer-reviewed health reports concerning Vanderbilt talc do exist and suggest a "same as" asbestos risk, some of which were referenced in the previously cited news articles. [78][79]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asbestos

Make whatever comment you would like about the validity of Wikipedia as a source, that's an extremely well cited passage.

[willnotwill]

http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/996/is-talcum-powder-asbestos

[Lanthey]

Yes yes ok, looking back that was a dumb comment. Forgive me <3

[timmyc]

If you do not want cancer, I can help you!

Rules:

1)Don't eat, ingest fluids via IV

2)Never go outside

3)Don't drink ANYTHING except perhaps distilled water

4)Completely disinfect your entire house every 30 minutes

5) Never Smoke, Drink, do any drugs.

6)Never touch any surface or person who is not sterilized.

7)Take regular doses of charcoal to detox yourself.

8)Never kiss, have sex, or any other contact in which body fluids may be transmitted.

9)Immediately disinfect any cuts or other injuries

10)Go only to a doctor who takes these steps, every other doctor is an idiot.

I could keep going but I think I lost a lot of people by now...I think number 8 probably was a turn off to many adults...

So basically... If you do not want cancer..

Never eat or drink, go outside, have any fun at all...And you will live a very long, yet miserable, life.

But while sitting home, don't watch tv, use a computer or a cellphone

[timmyc]

I've always wondered how Superman's wife (A non-smoker) could have died from lung cancer

at the young age of 45.....

The Superman Curse strikes again