No strong link between baby powder and cancer, study finds

Following years of at times conflicting evidence about the link between baby powder and ovarian cancer, researchers have released the results of the largest study yet on the issue and have found no strong evidence of a link.

Health concerns have focused on talcum powders, which are made with mineral similar in structure to asbestos, a known cause of cancer that is at times obtained from the same mines as talc.

The new U.S. government-led research — called “overall reassuring” in a Journal of the American Medical Association editorial published Tuesday — involved 250,000 women, even as a dwindling number of women use powder for personal hygiene, according to the editorial.

Thousands of U.S. lawsuits have been filed by women who claim asbestos in talcum powders caused their cancer.

The study, also published Tuesday in JAMA, was not able to draw specific conclusions about talc or individual brands, Katie O’Brien, the study’s lead author, told USA TODAY on Tuesday. That’s because the research used data pooled from four long-running studies in which women could have been using a number of powdered products, including cornstarch-based brands.

Small amounts of asbestos: Johnson & Johnson recalls baby powder

A statement from the American Cancer Society notes the study’s results are not definitive and that previous studies that use methodology less prone to bias have provided more mixed results, according to an emailed statement attributed to Susan Gapstur, senior vice president of behavioral and epidemiology research with the American Cancer Society.

“While results from this study showed no evidence of a statistically significant association between genital powder use and ovarian cancer risk overall, some of the subgroup findings are suggestive of a potential link,” Gapstur’s statement says.

The researchers found hints of a potentially small increased risk for cancer for women who had never had a hysterectomy or fallopian tube-tying surgery. Gapstur told the Associated Press that fits with one theory for how genital use of talc could be risky: With a pathway not blocked by surgery, powder particles could potentially travel into the fallopian tubes and ovaries and cause irritation, inflammation and DNA damage that could lead to cancer.

U.S. lawsuits have targeted leading baby powder maker Johnson & Johnson. Although several juries have reached multimillion-dollar verdicts against the company, they have been overturned or are being appealed. J&J says its powder is routinely tested to ensure it does not contain asbestos.

A statement from Johnson & Johnson provided to USA TODAY says the new study is consistent with 40 years clinical evidence and that talc is safe to use for feminine hygiene.

On Monday, an unusual mid-trial settlement was announced in an Oakland, California, case involving a woman who claimed asbestos in the powder caused her mesothelioma, a cancer that can affect the lungs and other organs. J&J spokeswoman Kimberly Montagnino declined to disclose terms or reasons for the agreement but said it “in no way changes our overall position that our talc is safe, is asbestos-free and does not cause cancer.” 

Since 1976, the cosmetics industry has agreed to make sure its talc products do not contain detectable amounts of asbestos.

Contributing: The Associated Press

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