Asbestos Make-Up: Find traces in eyeshadows and make-up kits for kids. The shock study of the EWG

A new EWG study found traces of asbestos in 3 out of 21 cosmetics, including a children's makeup kit

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An American research team analyzed 21 talc-based cosmetic powders and found that 15% of them contained traces of asbestos, a dangerous and carcinogenic substance.





The research was commissioned byEnvironmental Working Group (EWG), an American non-profit organization. The Scientific Analytical Institute conducted the tests using electron microscopy to analyze the selected cosmetics. (READ also: this is why asbestos is so harmful to humans)

The products sampled were powdered cosmetics containing talcum powder, among these eyeshadows, foundations, blushes, face and body powders but also makeup kit for children.

Asbestos Make-Up: Find traces in eyeshadows and make-up kits for kids. The shock study of the EWG

@EWG/ Environmental Health Insights

Talc is often used in cosmetics as a filler, to improve texture or to absorb moisture. Talc and asbestos can form in the same rocks that are extracted for both cosmetic and industrial use. Both minerals are often found in close proximity to the subsoil, which leads to potential cross-contamination.

Asbestos Make-Up: Find traces in eyeshadows and make-up kits for kids. The shock study of the EWG

@EWG/ Environmental Health Insights

The analyzes carried out on the samples showed that 3 out of 21 products contained traces of asbestos, between these two eyeshadow palettes and a make-up kit for children (the brands of which have not been disclosed, however).

As experts point out, dusts are particularly dangerous as you risk inhaling them and, if they contain asbestos, the situation is definitely worrying.

The risks of exposure to asbestos

EWG reports that asbestos exposure is linked to asbestosis, mesothelioma, and lung and ovarian cancer.

"Inhaling even the smallest amount of asbestos in talc can cause mesothelioma and other deadly diseases, many years after exposure - said Tasha Stoiber, EWG scientist - How much talc is inhaled, and how much is contaminated with asbestos, is difficult to know, but a single asbestos fiber, deposited in the lungs, is enough to cause mesothelioma decades later ”.



The fact that one of the products was for children is a very serious thing since, precisely the smallest ones, can have the greatest consequences on health from exposure to asbestos, considering that their lungs are still developing.

"It is especially important that children avoid products that contain talc. They are more susceptible to the development of diseases. Be wary of toy makeup kits. They are often made with cheap and potentially dangerous ingredients, such as talc contaminated with asbestos, lead and chemicals linked to serious health risks, ”concluded Dr Stoiber.

Check your supplies of talc with rigorous testing

According to EWG, talc-based powder products put consumers at risk of breathing in talc and, if present, asbestos as well.

The study specifies that the federal government does not require cosmetics to be tested for asbestos, instead encouraging companies to carefully select talc mines to avoid contamination. But it is clear that this mechanism does not work, or at least it does not always work as it should.

Following the results of the study, EWG said, in fact, that the methods used by the cosmetic industry to control supplies of talcum powder are inadequate and consequently asked Congress to pass legislation requiring rigorous testing of personal care products. based on talc.

In May, Johnson & Johnson announced that it would end the sale of its baby powder in the United States and Canada. Thousands of people have filed lawsuits against the company over the years, claiming the product is carcinogenic. But it seems that the problem is wider than we imagine and already last year we told you about some cosmetics withdrawn due to the traces of asbestos found inside them.



The experts, who published the results of their study in the journal Environmental Health Insights,  as a precaution, recommend avoiding talc-based cosmetics.

Fonti: Environmental Health Insights / US news 

On talc and asbestos you may also be interested in:

  • Johnson & Johnson knew that carcinogenic asbestos was in talcum powder, but they hid it for decades
  • Johnson & Johnson, stop selling talc in the US and Canada
  • Asbestos in thermos: attention, withdrawn from the Ministry of Health
  • Asbestos in crayons and children's toys sold in the US
  • Johnson & Johnson withdraws 33 packages of asbestos-contaminated baby powder
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