From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cosmetic powder usually made from talc or corn starch
Baby powder
is an
astringent
powder
used for preventing
diaper rash
and for
cosmetic
uses. It may be composed of
talc
(in which case it is also called
talcum powder
),
corn starch
or
potato starch
.
[1]
It may contain additional ingredients such as
fragrances
. Baby powder can also be used as a
dry shampoo
,
cleaning agent
(to remove grease stains), and
air freshener
.
[2]
Health risks
[
edit
]
Talcum powder, if inhaled, may cause
aspiration pneumonia
and
granuloma
.
[3]
Severe cases may lead to chronic respiratory problems and death.
[4]
[5]
The particles in corn starch powder are larger and less likely to be inhaled.
[6]
Some studies have found a statistical relationship between talcum powder applied to the
perineal
area by female babies and the incidence of
ovarian cancer
, but there is not a consensus about
causality
.
[7]
[8]
In 2016, more than 1,000 women in the United States
sued
Johnson & Johnson
for covering up the possible
cancer
risk associated with its baby powder.
[9]
[10]
In 1975, an official at the US federal
Food and Drug Administration
stated that "No mother was going to powder her baby with 1% of a known
carcinogen
irregardless [sic] of the large safety factor" as a comment on the testing methodology that J&J backed.
[11]
The company stopped selling talc-based baby powder in the United States and Canada in 2020
[12]
and has said it will stop all talc sales worldwide by 2023, switching to a
corn starch
-based formula. However, Johnson & Johnson says that its talc-based baby powder does not contain asbestos and is safe to use.
[13]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"Aldri mer sar babyhud"
.
HOFF Potetmel
(in Norwegian Bokmal)
. Retrieved
2024-03-09
.
- ^
"20 Brilliant Uses for Baby Powder You've Never Considered"
. DIY & Crafts. 2014-07-14
. Retrieved
15 August
2014
.
- ^
Harper, John; Arnold Oranje; Neil Prose (2000).
Textbook of Pediatric Dermatology
. Blackwell Science. p.
156
.
ISBN
978-0-86542-939-0
.
- ^
Pairaudeau, P. W.; Wilson, R. G.; Hall, M. A.; Milne, M. (18 May 1991).
"Inhalation of baby powder: an unappreciated hazard"
.
BMJ
.
302
(6786): 1200?1201.
doi
:
10.1136/bmj.302.6786.1200
.
PMC
1669894
.
PMID
2043820
.
- ^
Mofenson, H. C.; Greensher, J.; DiTomasso, A.; Okun, S. (August 1981). "Baby Powder?A Hazard!".
Pediatrics
.
68
(2): 265?6.
doi
:
10.1542/peds.68.2.265
.
PMID
7267235
.
S2CID
39006289
.
- ^
Weil, Andrew (8 October 2012).
"How Bad Is Baby Powder?"
.
DrWeil.com
. Retrieved
22 May
2020
.
- ^
Mohan, Melissa; Whysner, John (2000). "Perineal application of talc and cornstarch powders: Evaluation of ovarian cancer risk".
American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology
.
182
(3): 720?724.
doi
:
10.1067/mob.2000.104259
.
PMID
10739536
.
- ^
Mills, Paul; Riordan, Deborah; Cress, Rosemary; Young, Heather (2004). "Perineal talc exposure and epithelial ovarian cancer risk in the Central Valley of California".
International Journal of Cancer
.
112
(3): 458?464.
doi
:
10.1002/ijc.20434
.
PMID
15382072
.
S2CID
2464631
.
- ^
"Talcum Powder Lawsuit"
. MesoWatch. Archived from
the original
on 29 August 2019
. Retrieved
15 August
2019
.
- ^
Johnson & Johnson Has a Baby Powder Problem
Bloomberg, Retrieved April 20, 2017.
- ^
"J&J knew for decades that asbestos lurked in its Baby Powder"
.
"No mother was going to powder her baby with 1% of a known carcinogen irregardless of the large safety factor." - An FDA official commenting in 1975 on the talc testing method J&J backed
- ^
Hsu, Tiffany; Rabin, Roni Caryn (May 19, 2020).
"Johnson & Johnson to End Talc-Based Baby Powder Sales in North America"
.
The New York Times
.
ISSN
0362-4331
. Retrieved
May 20,
2020
.
- ^
Hoskins, Peter (12 August 2022).
"Johnson & Johnson to replace talc-based powder with cornstarch"
.
BBC News
. Retrieved
19 August
2022
.