Thousands of consumer products contain that fine powder called talc. In a recent study, scientists from three different laboratories discuss the fact that talc mines can be contaminated with the deadly mineral, asbestos. Doctors, researchers and lawyers representing plaintiffs have looked at patients with mesothelioma (a rare, fatal form of cancer caused by asbestos) and have sometimes struggled to find the source of the asbestos exposure that caused the mesothelioma, a cancer caused only by asbestos. If, for example, a woman diagnosed with mesothelioma never worked near asbestos, nor did her husband, it can sometimes be difficult to ascertain the source of the asbestos exposure. The existence of asbestos in baby powder, women’s cosmetic products, men’s barbershop powder, and other products is a serious health concern. Mesothelioma is a rapidly growing, fatal cancer that grows in the pleura (the thin lining of the lungs and chest wall, the peritoneum (which covers the abdominal cavity) and the pericardium (the sac surrounding the heart). Although the cosmetic industry and the commercial talc mining companies deny it, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) which is part of the World Health Organization (WHO) classifies talc that contains asbestos as “carcinogenic to humans”. Even if the talc product contains only a small amount of asbestos, the consumer frequently shakes it and applies it very close to their nose and mouth in a small, confined space. The FDA claims that it has almost no control over cosmetics, and those products’ safety and labelling is left up to the manufacturers or importers. The study discussing these issues is in the International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health.
If you are a loved one has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, please contact Locks Law Firm today. Our Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York attorneys can review your claim free of charge and advise you of how best to move forward with your claim. To schedule a consultation, contact our personal injury attorneys as soon as possible at 1-866-562-5752.
