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Health: Talc could be carcinogenic
Health: Talc could be carcinogenic
(France 2)
According to the WHO, talc is “probably carcinogenic”. This is surprising news, because the product has been present in many everyday products, including cosmetics, for a very long time.
Powders in cosmetics, paper manufacturing, paint and even plastic parts in cars… Talc is present almost everywhere in our daily lives. However, the WHO has just classified it as probably carcinogenic.It surprises me, because it’s been a long time, and I think that in the past we used a lot of them.”comments a passerby.
Scientists at the International Agency for Research on Cancer point to limited evidence of ovarian cancer in humans linked to talc. They rate the risk on a scale of 1 to 3. Talc is classified as 2A, or “probably carcinogenic.”
This natural mineral is extracted in many regions of the world, including a quarry in Ariège, which provides 10% of the world’s production each year. Exposure occurs mainly in the workplace, during the extraction and grinding of the mineral. However, the dangerousness of talc has been debated for several years.
In the United States, the American pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson had to withdraw its talc from the market in 2020, accused of being carcinogenic. To put an end to all the lawsuits, the giant recently committed to paying nearly 9 billion dollars.
