Over the past five years, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has been working towards adopting much needed standardized testing methods for cosmetic talc-containing products to reassure consumers and protect public health.
In 2020, we reported on the FDA’s public hearing on testing methodology for asbestos in talc and cosmetics (the first time the FDA had held a public hearing on the matter for nearly 50 years). This action was triggered by the nationwide recall of Johnson & Johnson Baby Power in 2019 and followed the slew of lawsuits against J&J. The hearing concluded with no formal action by the FDA, only an announcement that government experts from the FDA and other agencies would continue studying the issues.
Then in 2022, the FDA’s scientific panel made specific recommendations updating testing methodologies and planned to undergo a peer-review process.
Now the FDA, as stated in their December 26th press release, appears poised in enacting legislation, if passed by Congress, for mandating standardized testing methods for detecting asbestos in talc-containing cosmetic products.
The proposed rule would require manufacturers of talc-containing cosmetic products to test for asbestos using highly sensitive optical microscopy and transmission electron microscopy, in addition to keeping records demonstrating compliance.
The FDA will open a 90-day comment period. After which, they will review and consider comments before finalizing the rule.
If enacted, these long-overdue updates to the cosmetic industry have the power to prevent future cases of malignant mesothelioma and ovarian cancer.
For more information, please see the Associated Press article: https://apnews.com/article/talc-asbestos-cancer-fda-baby-powder-cac1b35dac7476a2e5acc6fdff34db39
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