The recent news that Johnson & Johnson will discontinue selling its iconic baby powder because of mounting lawsuits over its asbestos-tainted talc may make consumers feel safer.
However, if you think you’re safe from developing cancer now that J & J talc baby powder will no longer be for sale, think again.
Dangerous everyday household consumer goods may still contain asbestos.
As this resource for people with mesothelioma (a cancer of the lining of the lungs and other organs attributed to the inhalation of asbestos) mentions, eye-shadow makeup kits contain asbestos.
The brand Jmkcoz currently sells two eye shadow products with asbestos: 120 Colors Eyeshadow Palette; and Beauty Glazed Gorgeous Me Eye Shadow Tray Palette. According to the mesothelioma resource, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) revealed the news after the products were tested.
In addition to eye shadow, other cosmetics have recently tested positive for asbestos. This includes the brand, BeautyPlus and Claire’s. One eye shadow kit–Princess Girl’s All-in-One Deluxe Makeup Palette–sold by IQ Toys also tested positive for asbestos as recently as January 2020. (The tests for the two aforementioned brands, BeautyPlus and Claire’s, were from 2019. This report by Aljazeera says that a spokesperson for Claire’s claims that the company has replaced talc with mica in most of its products.)
Other Products That May Contain Asbestos
No other ingredient causes mesothelioma other than asbestos which afflicts more about 3,000 people every year. That’s why it’s important to make sure that no products you come in contact with contain asbestos.
The following products, according to this report by the Institute of Development Studies, may also contain asbestos:
- Car parts (brake pads, gaskets, valves, clutches)
- Fertilizer and potting soil (look for the ingredients: vermiculite or tremolite-actinolite)
- Anything with talc
- Construction materials (including: vinyl tile flooring, roofing tiles, insulation and ceiling coating)
- HVAC systems
- Mattresses
- Carpets
- Tampons
- Ironing boards
- Table mats
- Dish towels
- Toothpaste and more…
And let’s not forget talc baby powder. Even though Johnson & Johnson just days ago announced it will no longer carry talcum baby powder in North America (talc mineral is located in nature very close to asbestos, which is why some products with talc may contain asbestos particles), as of this writing, stores throughout the United States and Canada are stocked with it. In other words, the FDA did not issue a recall of talcum baby powder. The decision to pull the item off the shelves was Johnson & Johnson, which maintains the brand’s iconic baby powder is safe.
It’s only once supplies of J & J Baby Powder run out that we can breathe a collective asbestos-free sigh of relief.
