The evidence that there’s a link between cancer and talc is frustrating to say the least.
Women born after the ‘50s and ‘60s have witnessed a different conversation, and thanks to the internet, they can easily find out that they don’t need soap, powder, or douches and that vaginas are self-cleaning, like that feature you never use on your oven. Yes, we still have people trying to make vaginas smell like peaches but, overall, we live in an age of greater genital self-acceptance.
If sprinkling your lady garden with cornstarch-based powder genuinely makes you feel fresh and good, then by all means continue dusting away.
Bear in mind it's extremely rare that inhaling talc proves fatal.
The babies who lost their lives had their faces covered in talc, usually after playing with the container.
A few airborne particles probably won't harm your baby, but if your baby breathes in a lot of talc, it could clog the delicate air sacs in her lungs.
Sadly, a very small number of babies have developed breathing difficulties and died after becoming covered in talc.
Bloomberg reports that Johnson & Johnson is facing more than 1,000 lawsuits from women claiming the company knew that the talc in its Baby Powder and Shower to Shower products was linked to ovarian cancer when used in the genital area, but didn’t warn customers.
The company marketed both products for feminine hygiene, and in the ‘80s it told that 70 percent of baby-powder users were adults.
You probably didn’t know that talc, in its natural form, contains asbestos. However, all talcum products used in homes in the United States have been asbestos-free since the 1970s.
Talcum powder is made from talc, a mineral made up mainly of magnesium, silicon, and oxygen.
As for adults, many still use it around their genitals or rectum to prevent chafing or sweating, says Mary Jane Minkin, MD, clinical professor of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive services at Yale School of Medicine.