WASHINGTON – The Food and Drug Administration today abruptly said it is withdrawing its proposed rule to establish approved test methods for detecting and identifying cancer-causing asbestos in talc-containing cosmetics.
The Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act of 2022 required the FDA to develop the rule. The Trump administration’s decision to scrap the regulation will be published in the November 28 Federal Register.
Asbestos is a deadly human carcinogen for which there is no safe level of exposure. Repeated contamination of talc-based products has raised serious public health concerns.
The following is a statement from Environmental Working Group Senior Vice President for Government Affairs Scott Faber:
The FDA’s decision to withdraw its proposed rule requiring standardized testing for asbestos in talc-based cosmetics is dangerous and irresponsible.
Needlessly exposing people to asbestos in personal care products will not make Americans healthy again.
Thousands of products that contain talc can be contaminated with asbestos, one of the world’s deadliest substances. Tests for the presence of asbestos are the only way to ensure products made with talc are safe.
Today’s action is also illegal. Congress clearly required the FDA to mandate tests for talc in cosmetics.
In 2020, EWG-commissioned laboratory tests of talc-based cosmetics found asbestos in nearly 15% of samples. The analysis, published in Environmental Health Insights, highlighted the outdated methods currently used to screen talc for asbestos. The cosmetics industry’s inadequate test methods leave consumers at risk.
Cosmetics companies have known since the 1950s that asbestos can contaminate talc, and the public was alerted in the early 1970s. But the industry persuaded the FDA to allow companies to rely on test methods that can detect some, but not all, asbestos fibers.
“Inhaling even the tiniest amount of asbestos in talc can cause mesothelioma and other deadly diseases, many years after exposure,” said Tasha Stoiber, Ph.D., senior scientist at EWG. “How much talc is inhaled, and how much is contaminated with asbestos, is difficult to know, but it only takes a single asbestos fiber lodged in the lungs to cause mesothelioma decades later.”
Exposure to asbestos is linked to asbestosis, mesothelioma, and lung and ovarian cancers. Even brief exposures can trigger disease years later. Studies estimate that more than 60% of mesothelioma cases in women are likely attributable to non-occupational asbestos exposure.
Talc is commonly used in cosmetics to improve texture, absorb moisture, or as an inexpensive filler, a practice that continues to expose consumers to potentially deadly asbestos.
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The Environmental Working Group (EWG) is a nonprofit, non-partisan organization that empowers people to live healthier lives in a healthier environment. Through research, advocacy and unique education tools, EWG drives consumer choice and civic action.
