Asbestos: The Sneaky Killer

by Christina Rohl September 23, 2024

Asbestos: The Sneaky Killer

I was approached by a gentleman from the Mesothelioma Center at Asbestos.com to include their article about Asbestos in Cosmetics in one of my articles. But considering what I read in their article; I decided this topic deserves another one, and I did more digging. To say I was shocked by what I learned is an understatement. Here it goes.

Free image from payrollschedule.net

Some History

Asbestos have been mined and used for household and industrial purposes for approximately 4,500 years.

For household purposes, ancient civilizations used asbestos to make cooking utensils, storage pots, and wicks; they weaved it into linen, made napkins, etc.
For industrial purposes asbestos was used in building structures to strengthen and insulate them as well as in warfare due to its fire-resistant properties.

It wasn’t until approximately 2500 years after the discovery of asbestos that a philosopher by the name of Pliny the Younger (61-112 AD) noted that people who mined and worked with asbestos became ill from being exposed to it. Unfortunately, no one paid attention, and it would take another 2000 years before modern scientists recognized some of the dangers.

Let me point out that using asbestos to construct structures did not end in ancient times. It’s still being used by some countries and was phased out in other countries from the 1970’s until as recently as 2020. For more details about the countries still using asbestos and the countries that have phased it out, you can read a short article by the World Health Organization here and an article from asbestos.com here.

Deadly Asbestos chrysotile fibers - Free image from Istock

Health Risks of Asbestos Exposure:

Before citing the health risks, let me explain to you why I named this article ‘Asbestos: The Sneaky Killer’. There's sometimes a huge time delay of 15 to 40 years between subtle exposure and noticeable symptoms. You may only discover the damage once you've fallen seriously ill and undergone medical testing.

Asbestos exposure poses serious health risks across various sectors, including mining, industrial use, household use, and cosmetic use. Here are the health risks associated with asbestos exposure:

Asbestosis: A chronic lung disease caused by inhalation of asbestos fibers.
Pleural Disease: a disease affecting the lining of the lungs
Mesothelioma: a rare and aggressive cancer affecting the lining of the lungs, abdomen, or heart. This is almost exclusively caused by asbestos exposure.
Laryngeal Cancer: Cancer in the Larynx
Cancer of the digestive system, which is caused by ingesting or inhaling asbestos fibers
Lung Cancer
Ovarian Cancer in women

Talc Crystal – Picture from Wikipedia

Asbestos in Cosmetics

I’m not going to say that the presence of asbestos in cosmetics and body care happens on purpose. But the first traces of asbestos in cosmetics were found at the beginning of the 20th century. This all started with the discovery of talc, which is a crystal. Coincidentally, talc and asbestos coexist and grow in proximity. When talc is mined, some asbestos particles are often mistakenly mined with it and end up being ground into powder with the talc crystals. And what is Talc mostly used for?

Pure Talc Powder (talcum) – Image from Freepik.com

Powder

Yes, Powder! The stuff we sprinkle on our babies in the form of baby powder and even ourselves. The soft, white powder we have all trusted since the beginning of its manufacture over 130 years ago! The face powder, whether loose or compact, which women use daily. What does powder consist of? Mostly talc (which is also called talcum powder), sometimes mixed with other ingredients, depending on the type of powder required. And as mentioned, asbestos accidentally gets mined and powdered with talc crystals. I’m not making this up; I will share a snippet of a Wikipedia article soon.

Free image from Pixabay

Makeup

Talc is widely used in various types of makeup because of its anti-caking, smoothing, covering, and moisture-absorbing properties. Here is a list:

Face Powder, including finishing and setting powders

Foundation: powder and liquid
Bronzer
Concealer
Eye shadow
Blush
Lipstick
Mascara
Eyeliner
Eyebrow Pencils
Children’s Makeup
Aerosol sprays like dry shampoo and body sprays.

I could write this article into a full book; that’s how much there is to cover. I’m only going to elaborate on children’s makeup, as I feel that is what is most urgent for parents.

Free image from Pixabay

Children’s Makeup

The question I have always asked myself is... why do people use makeup on children? Let them be young for as long as possible. But I know that there are beauty pageants, modeling shows, dress-up parties, birthday parties with face painting, etc.

When my daughter was a little girl, she often came home from parties and even kindergarten with her face painted. So, this is very close to my heart, as I can remember how cute she looked being painted like a cat or a fox, etc. And now knowing about asbestos possibly being present in face paint and children’s makeup makes me very upset!

Did you know that talc is used in almost every single makeup item in a children’s makeup kit? Which means your little ones could be poisoned by asbestos every time you indulge them with this adult 'spoil’.
Before I go off on a rampage, let me share a snippet of the article from asbestos.com.

[How Asbestos Ends Up in Makeup

Jojo Siwa Makeup Set tested positive for asbestos.

Asbestos ends up in makeup because of poor regulations involving cosmetic-grade talc, which is also known as talcum powder. Talc and asbestos are minerals that form together. That means talc mined for commercial uses can be contaminated with asbestos — a known cause of lung cancer and mesothelioma.

There is a long history of asbestos remaining in talc that is certified asbestos-free. Manufacturers don’t purposely add asbestos to cosmetics, but there is a lack of regulation around cosmetic-grade talc. Because of that relaxed oversight, no one is checking for the presence of asbestos. That means companies can get away with not testing their talc for asbestos before putting it into their products — possibly harming consumers.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration does not regulate cosmetic-grade talc. The federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act of 1938 does not require the FDA to review cosmetic products and their ingredients, with the exception of color additives.

In 1976, the Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association (now known as the Personal Care Products Council) asked its members to use asbestos-free talc in their products. While the FDA says that it “considers it unacceptable for cosmetic talc to be contaminated with asbestos,” there are no U.S. laws or regulations that strictly prohibit talc used in consumer products from containing asbestos.]

You can read the full asbestos.com article here.

As promised, below is a snippet of a Wikipedia article about talc and its association with asbestos.

[Association with asbestos

One particular issue with commercial use of talc is its frequent co-location in underground deposits with asbestos ore. Asbestos is a general term for different types of fibrous silicate minerals, desirable in construction for their heat resistant properties.There are six varieties of asbestos; the most common variety in manufacturing, white asbestos, is in the serpentine family. Serpentine minerals are sheet silicates; although not in the serpentine family, talc is also a sheet silicate, with two sheets connected by magnesium cations. The frequent co-location of talc deposits with asbestos may result in contamination of mined talc with white asbestos, which poses serious health risks when dispersed into the air and inhaled.]

You can read the full Wikipedia article here

Picture from consumernotice.org

What you should take away from this article:

Not everything natural is healthy. Look at asbestos, it’s natural but it’s deadly!
Be very careful what you apply on your body, to your face, what you by accident inhale.
Check ingredient labels before you buy. If a product contains Talc, do not buy it. If you have existing products that contain talc, throw them away. Why take the risk? It’s unnecessary.
Look for natural products that are healthy, check those ingredients as well. (You can order healthy, natural and ecofriendly skincare and products form CHB if you are in South Africa.)

If you want to use natural, healthy powder on yourself and your children, look for Arrowroot powder.

Arrowroot and powder – image from etsy.com

Arrowroot powder is a natural, talc-free/asbestos-free option that offers numerous benefits:

Safe and Natural: Arrowroot powder is derived from the roots of the arrowroot plant, making it a pure, healthy and natural product.
Absorbent: It effectively absorbs moisture, keeping the skin dry and reducing the risk of irritation.
Gentle on Skin: Suitable for all skin types, including sensitive skin, arrowroot powder soothes and calms the skin.
Versatile: It can be used in homemade body powders, used as a face powder, used in deodorants.

By choosing arrowroot powder, you can enjoy the benefits of a natural, healthy product while avoiding the potential health risks associated with talcum powder.

As always, please be careful about inhaling any powder while using it, even one as healthy as Arrow Root. And always do a small patch test before using any new product or ingredient.

Resources:

Mesotheliomahelp.org
atsdr.cdc.gov
www.msha.gov
www.cancer.org
www.cancer.gov
asbestos.com (asbestos in makeup)
asbestos.com (mesothelioma worldwide)
www.iarc.who.int
zaneslaw.com
drugwatch.com
Wikipedia.org