Is baby powder safe?

[JackandJill]

For me every time I wear I love the smell of the diaper the wipes and the baby powder. Baby powder has hit the headlines about causing cancer and we got to question is it safe.

First we got to look at why baby powder could cause cancer and that's because of asbestos. Asbestos and the mineral talc or talcum usually come hand-in-hand when it gets mined. There is usually very small traces of asbestos but in many cases it gets processed out but here's the catch like Johnson Johnson one of the bigest manufacturers of baby powder has recalled some again because of asbestos in it. See link.

Talcum Powder and Cancer

Talcum powder is made from talc, a mineral composed mainly of the elements magnesium, silicon, and oxygen. It is widely used in cosmetic products such as baby powder and adult body and facial powders.

amp.cancer.org

For me even though the risk would be extremely low I don't know if I want to take that risk. So if you can't trust your baby powder to be safe what can we use there are many home remedies that will work like cornstarch.

 

[KitsuneFox]

Everything causes cancer ... including coffee, sand, bananas, drywall, beer, grilled meat, bla, bla,bla .
It's kind of silly the extraordinary depths some folks will go to spread fear.

Edit: I Googled cancer rates in the 'diaper area' ... they are very low, considering billions of folks have had talc spread on their behinds over the centuries.

 

[JackandJill]

You right if you listen to news every thing will causes cancer. Like coffee there is reserch reports that say it will and some that say it will prevent cancer. So how can that be? ( I think John Oliver did a report over this you can look him up on YouTube) If you look the reports up and read them like the coffee ones they will say need more testing. That goes into why there's no second test to is it all comes back to money. There's no research money for most 2nd studies because people want to put research money into something that's new and headline-grabbing. Then you also have to figure out where the funding is coming from there's been big manufacturers that pay funding to say one thing over another. That's also why look at when the first research report came back from talc it took decades until the government came in and put money to do more research.

Like you said there's probably billions that have used talc so you go Google the rates ovarian cancer. The big problem with these statistics is that some of statistics of baby powder and cancer are relatively new because it wasn't being tracked.

Which now give this the bigger problem of correlation and causation which does not always lineup even though you can look up the rates of a cancer there's no way you can say what cause what but we can't say asbestos causes cancer and any time it is in a product it can cause higher rate of cancer.

Why we can say asbestos does that is because we have seen it many different products and people being exposed to it. And it is known to be in talcum if it's not properly removed. So what if you do have a contaminated talcum for males as long as you're not huffing it you probably will never have cancer from it.

So to avoid falling for news media over-hype something look at the research medical papers you should be able to find more than one from many different sources. These papers should be published through medical journal.

Also never take some random Post online as it's 100% true until you go and do your own research and sometimes five minutes of looking on internet only will give you more misleading information.

 

[russianknyaz]

That was a very good reply @JackandJill.

 

[Sheepies]

You right if you listen to news every thing will causes cancer. Like coffee there is reserch reports that say it will and some that say it will prevent cancer. So how can that be? ( I think John Oliver did a report over this you can look him up on YouTube) If you look the reports up and read them like the coffee ones they will say need more testing. That goes into why there's no second test to is it all comes back to money. There's no research money for most 2nd studies because people want to put research money into something that's new and headline-grabbing. Then you also have to figure out where the funding is coming from there's been big manufacturers that pay funding to say one thing over another. That's also why look at when the first research report came back from talc it took decades until the government came in and put money to do more research.

Like you said there's probably billions that have used talc so you go Google the rates ovarian cancer. The big problem with these statistics is that some of statistics of baby powder and cancer are relatively new because it wasn't being tracked.

Which now give this the bigger problem of correlation and causation which does not always lineup even though you can look up the rates of a cancer there's no way you can say what cause what but we can't say asbestos causes cancer and any time it is in a product it can cause higher rate of cancer.

Why we can say asbestos does that is because we have seen it many different products and people being exposed to it. And it is known to be in talcum if it's not properly removed. So what if you do have a contaminated talcum for males as long as you're not huffing it you probably will never have cancer from it.

So to avoid falling for news media over-hype something look at the research medical papers you should be able to find more than one from many different sources. These papers should be published through medical journal.

Also never take some random Post online as it's 100% true until you go and do your own research and sometimes five minutes of looking on internet only will give you more misleading information.

You hit the nail on the head there.

Cancer is tricky. There's no one cause for it. And it can take many years to develop. So pinpointing the exact source can be extremely difficult. Not to mention it can be caused by multiple things.

Asbestos is dangerous because when inhaled the fibers tear your lungs and accumulate in your body. But again, if you're worried; use cornstarch.

 

[JackandJill]

You hit the nail on the head there.

Cancer is tricky. There's no one cause for it. And it can take many years to develop. So pinpointing the exact source can be extremely difficult. Not to mention it can be caused by multiple things.

Asbestos is dangerous because when inhaled the fibers tear your lungs and accumulate in your body. But again, if you're worried; use cornstarch.

Thank you I'm glad you got my point in that. And we've all seen it sound that has smoked all their life does not get cancer but some twenty-year-old does there is so many factors. Thank you

 

[BobbiSueEllen]

...if you're worried, use cornstarch.

And only when you don't have diaper rash, as the bacteria love to nom and grow on the cornstarch.

I agree, everything seems to cause cancer. This has been a notion in existence since the Carter administration, esp. with the then-advent of saccharin in main-market stores. Saccharin got the lion's share of blame, but then it was red meat, beer, coffee, tea, TV dinners, Cheez Whiz, etc., etc., ad astra. Someone then had the presence of mind to ask on TV "What doesn't cause cancer?"

The answer given? "Soybeans". But now it's proven that more and more are allergic to soy. So, it all comes down to all things in moderation...clean living and a pure heart ...and smile!

 

[pampers4U]

From what I understand J&J specifically recalled there original talc powder because I third party tested it and found trace amounts of asbestos in it, upon further tested done by both J&J and independent contractors they could not find asbestos, even using the same sample taken from the powder that tested positive (false positive at that)
Now anytime there is long term exposure to fine powders precautions should be taken, its just common sense, like landscapers doing dry cuts on stones, chimney sweepers sweeping, farmers clean out grain silo's. Do I personally think I'm at risk for some type of issue because I use baby powder? not the least bit, its such a small amount that gets air born, theres more pollen in the air in my opinion to cause harm to me.
Now I do believe females should take caution, there organs my be more sensitive to exposure.

 

[HelloKittyBoi]

Johnson & Johnson SPECIFICALLY are known to put poison in their products. It's not just the talc but also butt cream, shampoos and anything they manufacture really. I don't want to sound paranoid but the repetition of scandals make it sound like they almost want babies to have troubles
Anyways just use literally any other brand: problem solved!

 

[PCBaby]

Johnson and Johnson ate currently facing a mass law suit about their baby powder, thay have already paid out millions in settlements. If tou are at all worried switch to the new Johnsons and Johnsons which is made from cornstarch.

 

[BobbiSueEllen]

I see the lawsuit ads on antenna TV all the time: baby powder (J&J specifically targeted), body powder, Round-Up, ear plugs, Xarelto, other drugs. Not only are we a rather litigious society, we also are subject to side-effects from anything. Ever read a warning label for today's meds? Eeg. Suicidal ideation or actions are more common. If only there were more meds that forced me to wear diapers more often due to need... *giggle, sigh*

We'll see how this comes out in the wash. Remember the alar scare and NBC News rigging Chevy trucks to explode in side-impact 'tests'? Something usually comes along to debunk a hot-button subject and life goes on. Just takes time to wait and see which ones fizzle.

 

[HelloKittyBoi]

We'll see how this comes out in the wash.

Your post would make sense, but not for J&J. It's a company literally responsible for the death of people because they decided to put cyanide in their Tylenol...
"Medicine laced with potassium cyanide (poison) resulting in several patient deaths".
Go read their scandals and lawsuits, if you still aren't scared, you are more courageous than me

Johnson & Johnson – Products, Recalls, Lawsuits & Scandals

Health care giant Johnson & Johnson has been named in more than 100,000 lawsuits, including claims against talcum powder and metal-on-metal hips.

www.drugwatch.com

 

[BobbiSueEllen]

I think the only reason J&J is specifically targeted is because they are a large company with lots of assets for the picking. And lawyers love money. There are precious few other companies (if any) of J&J's size who make baby/talcum powder; it's not much of a moneymaker for most, they make it to complete a product line-up of more lucrative products.

Also, the lesser companies won't be mentioned specifically by a law firm because even though they can be sued, they won't see a dime because it will effectively shut that manufacturer down, cold and dark, with no hope of getting anything after a Chapter 11 liquidation. Which leads to another axiom popular with lawyers: "Never sue poor people/entities", something I learned on my uncle's knee. Not that I ever cared...he lawyered, I didn't.

 

[Traemo]

Your post would make sense, but not for J&J. It's a company literally responsible for the death of people because they decided to put cyanide in their Tylenol...

Yeah, nice try; but you're wrong. While no suspect was ever identified in the original poisonings, it wasn't J&J but someone after the fact that contaminated the capsules. J&J responded by halting production and then recalling all the effected product. There were a mess of copycat crimes shortly afterwards, but again deranged individuals not corporations were to blame.

J&J is settling with claimants, not because there's validity to their claims, but because an ongoing suit will continue to generate negative public opinion. Also, by using settlements, they can have gag orders issued and enforced against the claimants, increasing the ability to prevent that unfavorable publicity.

 

[Zeke]

My ex-wife passed away last October from ovarian cancer. She had used baby powder for as long as I’ve known her in her panties for feminine freshness. Her biggest problem was she hadn’t had a PAP smear since we were separated in 1991. She had a strong dislike of doctors but went in June of 2017 for vaginal bleeding and the doctor told he she needed to she a specialist immediately. Putting it off until the following year she ended up at the Mayo Clinic with a large mass that was pressing against her aorta and they finally ended up sending her home as there was nothing they could do for her. When the Mayo says that they’ve tried everything. The lawsuits are targeting Johnson & Johnson and their deep pockets. I’m not sure what brand Penny used but she liked store brands s do I so unless it was a store brand produced by J&J I don’t think that they’re responsible for her cancer. From what I understand they were producing talc, I believe it came from India, that was said to have trace amounts of asbestos. For my use I’ve been buying cornstarch baby powder and I haven’t heard of corn containing asbestos yet so I think I’ll be alright.

 

[BobbiSueEllen]

From what I understand they were producing talc, I believe it came from India, that was said to have trace amounts of asbestos.

You hit a big chunk of concept right there. There's a LOT of foreign countries which make many of the daily hygiene things we use because the US government set some stringent standards for the US production of those products...but goods slated for import into the US are largely exempt from those standards. It's much cheaper for stores to import it. Two examples of product contamination which come to mind were several years ago, when melamine was found in imported dog food (it killed many pets) and, after DDT was outlawed for use in the US, Mexico was still using it as a pesticide for the fruits & vegetables they produced...which were exported to the US market. Not sure if the DDT thing is still going on today, but it sure was then.

 

[HelloKittyBoi]

Yeah, nice try; but you're wrong.

Yeah I saw that afterwards and realized I made an oopsie
Tbh my fear for J&J products come from personnal experience. Each every single single time we used them for our babies, they had a rash instantly, but never with any other brands.
Then I read about all the scandals and decided enough was enough and just cut them out
Now I may be wrong anywho I shouldnt have spread false information, sorry

 

[Traemo]

You hit a big chunk of concept right there. There's a LOT of foreign countries which make many of the daily hygiene things we use because the US government set some stringent standards for the US production of those products...but goods slated for import into the US are largely exempt from those standards.

With respect to production processes and conditions, that's largely true. When it comes to the items themselves, anything intended to import and use in the US largely has to meet the same standards as items produced here. The problem is that often importers don't do their due diligence or continue to check for issues - both expensive processes.

 

[bambinod]

I've heard that research causes cancer in laboratory mice

 

[JackandJill]

I've heard that research causes cancer in laboratory mice

That is correct but we have to keep in mind the mice are horrible analog for humans. We found many cures 4 diseases in mice and when we've tried human testing the results were totally opposite or unpredictable. Then that goes into moral standings the closest analogs for us when we monkeys than pigs.

Many people don't really want to test on monkeys. And that's a moral question is it okay to test on monkeys if it's going to save human life where is it immoral. Sorry I went on a tangent.