Even Small Amounts of Asbestos in Talc Could Cause Cancer

Scientists agree that there is no safe level of inhaling asbestos and that talc is certain to be contaminated

Friday, January 24, 2020 - According to Mesothelioma Guide.com there are two key questions surrounding asbestos exposure such as how much asbestos must be inhaled to develop the disease and how often does one have to inhale it? The later makes baby powder a prime mesothelioma suspect as the product is intended to be used daily by adults and several times a day when diapering a baby. Scientists insist that there is no safe amount of inhaling asbestos and doing so even once in a lifetime could eventually cause mesothelioma. Talcum powder cancer attorneys representing ovarian cancer and mesothelioma claims due to asbestos exposure from talcum powder use and offer a free consultation.

Johnson & Johnson attorneys like to tell of the safety of Johnson's Baby Powder and sometimes cite statistics that the amount of asbestos in talc is likely to be very small. Indeed, the company's asbestos testing methods, currently under FDA scrutiny, would lead one to believe that microscopic amounts of asbestos are nothing to worry about but nothing could be further from the truth. From day one over 50 years ago scientists and researchers determined that there is no such thing as a safe amount of asbestos and concluded any amount of asbestos could cause mesothelioma, a cancer of the lining of the lungs and/or stomach. Those opinions have once again been confirmed as much attention has been paid in recent years to settlements in favor of plaintiffs suing Johnson & Johnson that have breathed Johnson's Baby Powder dust regularly and over two or more decades, and developed asbestos' signature disease.

Mesothelioma is an easy disease to understand. Microscopic lighter than air particles of asbestos are inhaled into the lungs when talcum powder is applied. Asbestos is knife-like fibers that cause microscopic cuts in the outer lining of the lungs called the mesothelia. Over time these tiny lacerations heal causing scarring that is inelastic which makes breathing increasingly difficult. Eventually enough scar tissue builds up that the mesothelioma victim suffocates to death. The two main types of mesothelioma are "pleural mesothelioma is caused when fibers lodge in the pleura, and the peritoneal type is caused when fibers lodge in the lining of the stomach," according to Asbestos.com.

The web site concurs that one of the factors of concern in developing mesothelioma is living near asbestos mines as open-pit asbestos mines blast the carcinogenic substance into the air to be easily shoveled up when the dust settles. Residents living or working near asbestos mines have had higher than normal incidences of mesothelioma and local talc mines were probably exposed as well. Mesothelioma.com explains: "Because talc is often naturally found near asbestos in the earth, the talc can easily become contaminated by the toxin while being mined. In recent years, this has led to much concern over exposure to contaminated talcum powder products, which have been linked to cases of mesothelioma, lung cancer and ovarian cancer." Mesothelioma is usually left undetected until the disease has spread, thus the 5-year survival rate for mesothelioma patients is less than 5%,