Does the daily use of the most common cosmetic product, the talcum powder can lead to ovarian cancer? Well, this is what 13,000 people across the globe who have filed talcum powder lawsuits firmly believe.
Numerous researches & medical studies on this subject over the past decade have been divided.
Many are overruling the claims of people with ovarian cancer that talcum powder was the main culprit, while findings of one or two medical studies are terrifying.
The New Jersey court in March 2019 ordered an internationally renowned cosmetic brand to pay off $4.69 billion to 22 women who have filed a lawsuit against the accused company.
Latest Studies & Surveys On Talcum Powder Causing Ovarian Cancer
Ghassan Saed, a researcher from the Wayne State University did comprehensive medical research to find answers to the above question, which is creating a lot of buzz in the entire cosmetic and beauty industry. This has the consumers somewhat hesitant to use too much of cosmetic products.
Like the millions of moms across the globe, those who have been using talcum powder, Saed thought that the presence of clay cornstarch in the baby talcum powder is completely inert and harmless.
But, in 2019, he came up with a contrasting report at the Annual Meeting of the Society of Gynecologic Oncology, Honolulu, that established some sort of connection between the use of talcum powder and abnormal changes in the ovarian cells. “I went to the lab, took the powder, and added it to ovarian cancer cell lines. We found that it created an increased oxidative state,” said Dr. Saed.
“This is the first in vitro study that shows a direct biological effect on what’s thought to be an inert substance on ovarian cancer cells and, most importantly, normal cells coming from the fallopian tubes,” he further added.
In the year 2018, 22,240 American women were diagnosed with ovarian cancer, and 14,070 died in the same year, as per the official data released by the government.
Although there is no practical evidence, there is a theoretical linkage between the daily use of talcum powder and the increased risk of ovarian cancer in women, this was the headline of the two core case studies in 2016. Here, the researchers asked several questions about the victims of ovarian cancer regarding their grooming routine.
An African American Cancer Epidemiology Study compared 745 healthy women with 584 people with ovarian cancer. The research found that women who use talcum powder in her genitals are 44% more likely to be diagnosed with ovarian cancer.
Dr. Boffetta of the Wayne State University study believed presently, it is partially impossible to come up with conclusive research on the connection between talcum powder and cancer as it’s tough to predict how different the cells in the lab respond to talcum powder compared to when in a woman’s body.
He said, “It’s one thing to experiment with cells in an artificial environment, but we don’t know if the same thing happens in vivo in an actual woman’s ovary,” he says. “[These] data [are] interesting, of course, but I’d like to see more prospective studies. That’s what is missing in our collective understanding.”
There is still a long way in establishing a real linkage between talcum powder and ovarian cancer or bust the myth once for all.
Hi, I’m the Founder and Developer of Paramedics World, a blog truly devoted to Paramedics. I am a Medical Lab Tech, a Web Developer and Bibliophiliac. My greatest hobby is to teach and motivate other peoples to do whatever they wanna do in life.
A very comprehensive and informative guide.