Asbestos, a notorious carcinogen, was in widespread use throughout the 20th century—from building materials to brake pads and even fake snow on film sets including The Wizard of Oz and White Christmas.
In the 1960s, a link was established between asbestos exposure and mesothelioma, an incurable cancer that primarily affects the lungs but can also affect the abdomen and heart.
As a result, asbestos as a product was banned in the UK—but not until 1999.
Exposure to asbestos is accountable for 80% of all mesothelioma cases.
The development of asbestos-related mesothelioma after exposure is a complicated and decades long process lasting for around 30-50 years.
In the 21st century, some women are suing cosmetics companies for asbestos related mesothelioma as a result of asbestos exposure.
Asbestos related mesothelioma
In geological terms, asbestos is a whole group of minerals, but there are six fibrous asbestos minerals that are known to cause mesothelioma; chrysotile (white), amosite (brown), crocidolite (blue), anthophyllite, fibrous tremolite and fibrous actinolite.
When observed using a microscope, these asbestos minerals are bundles of fibers, known as a fibrous asbestiform. The fibrous bundles are similar to rope; and, much like rope, an asbestiform bundle can fray and break up into smaller fibers.
If a bundle of asbestiform fibers breaks up into smaller, microscopic, fibers, such as during deconstruction work, they can become dust particles that are easily inhaled. Once in the lungs, they can find their way to the mesothelium—a tissue membrane that lines the lungs, abdomen and heart.
Once an asbestos fiber is in the lung mesothelium it can remain there for decades, where it will cause microscopic scratches. The body recognizes asbestos fibers as a foreign body. To heal the damage, immune cells are sent to the area to break down the asbestos fibers.
However, asbestos fibers are resistant to the immune attack. And the chemicals produced by the immune cells to break down the asbestos fibers attack the mesothelium, producing mesothelioma.
There are no records of asbestos being intentionally used in cosmetics—but there is a risk of low level asbestos contamination in talcum minerals.
From eye shadow to blusher and face powder, talc is a common ingredient in make up. Talc is incorporated into cosmetic formulas because it’s a moisture absorbent anti-caking agent, which makes products easier to apply.
As part of a BBC investigation in 2024, eight commercially available cosmetic samples containing talc were tested using transmission electron microscopy—an imaging technique used to view the smallest structures in matter. From this analysis, trace levels of asbestos were found in two of the samples.
Talcum rock is a solid mineral that’s mined from the earth and powdered to produce talc. The microscopic appearance of talc and asbestos fibers are dissimilar but they share other characteristics. They’re both formed in similar geological conditions and classified as silicate minerals, comprised of the same chemical elements: silicon, magnesium, iron, oxygen and hydrogen.
The different microscopic structure between talcum and asbestos is the product of the arrangement of the chemical elements during the mineral formation. Like the difference between scrambled eggs and poached eggs—both are made from eggs, but the way the egg has been cooked results in a different appearance.
Due to the similarities between asbestos and talc, it is common for asbestos minerals to form within talcum minerals deposits. These deposits can range from microscopic deposits to large discrete zones of asbestos.
Consistent testing since the 1970s has found asbestiform fibers in some commercial talc products.
Consumer risk
As of 2022, 7.3 million tonnes of talcum are mined per year. However, the talc industry has been resistant to regulation, voluntarily introducing a technique called X-ray diffraction to determine any asbestos content, which has limited detection ability.
This means there’s a possibility that some asbestos fiber contamination may have gone undetected in cosmetic talc products tested using this technique. Using talc based cosmetic products, then, may be risky—and, currently, little information is provided to consumers.
If the use of talc based cosmetics is to become a matter of consumer risk, similar to smoking, consumers must be made aware of the potential dangers.
Talc is powder, which increases the risk of airborne particulates—microscopic particles of solid or liquid matter suspended in the air.
Powder cosmetics are usually applied to the face, which then increases the risk of inhaling any airborne particulates. If those particulates are asbestiform fibers, the end result is very likely to be asbestos related mesothelioma.
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Written by Ashley Howkins and Lorna Anguilano, The Conversation.
