Baby powder

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Johnson's baby powder made from talc in an old tin with a shaker on top Johnsons Baby Powder 1,5 OZS talc, pic4.JPG
Johnson's baby powder made from talc in an old tin with a shaker on top
Traditional container for baby powder and puff in South India, made of silver Baby Powder and puff box IMG 20210811 173820.jpg
Traditional container for baby powder and puff in South India, made of silver
Baby powder might be applied after changing a diaper and cleaning the baby. Daddy Diaper (879097718).jpg
Baby powder might be applied after changing a diaper and cleaning the baby.

Baby powder is an astringent powder used for preventing diaper rash and for cosmetic uses. It may be composed of talc (in which case it is also called talcum powder), corn starch or potato starch. [1] It may contain additional ingredients such as fragrances. Baby powder can also be used as a dry shampoo, cleaning agent (to remove grease stains), and air freshener. [2]

Contents

History

Talcum baby powder was pioneered in the early 1890s by Frederick Barnett Kilmer, the first scientific director of the then-fledging healthcare company Johnson and Johnson. [3] In 1892, Kilmer prescribed talcum powder to ease skin irritation from Johnson and Johnson's medical plasters. [4] The powder was soon found to ease irritation in babies' skin, and by 1894 Johnson's Baby Powder was being mass produced as its own product. [3]

Health risks

Talcum powder, if inhaled, may cause aspiration pneumonia and granuloma. [5] Severe cases may lead to chronic respiratory problems and death. [6] [7] The particles in corn starch powder are larger and less likely to be inhaled. [8]

Some studies have found a statistical relationship between talcum powder applied to the perineal area by female babies and the incidence of ovarian cancer, but there is not a consensus about causality. [9] [10] In 2016, more than 1,000 women in the United States sued Johnson & Johnson for covering up the possible cancer risk associated with its baby powder. [11] In 1975, an official at the US federal Food and Drug Administration stated that "No mother was going to powder her baby with 1% of a known carcinogen irregardless [sic] of the large safety factor" as a comment on the testing methodology that J&J backed. [12] The company stopped selling talc-based baby powder in the United States and Canada in 2020 [13] and has said it will stop all talc sales worldwide by 2023, switching to a corn starch-based formula. However, Johnson & Johnson says that its talc-based baby powder does not contain asbestos and is safe to use. [14]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Aldri mer sår babyhud". HOFF Potetmel (in Norwegian Bokmål). Archived from the original on 2024-03-09. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
  2. ↑ "20 Brilliant Uses for Baby Powder You've Never Considered". DIY & Crafts. 2014-07-14. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
  3. 1 2 Turner, Tyya (2007). Vault Guide to the Top Consumer Products Employers. Vault. p. 185. ISBN   978-1-58131-323-9 . Retrieved August 3, 2014.
  4. ↑ Oppenheimer, Jerry (2013). Crazy Rich: Power, Scandal and Tragedy Inside the Johnson and Johnson Dynasty . St. Martin's Press. p.  46. ISBN   978-0-312-66211-0 . Retrieved August 3, 2014. kilmer.
  5. ↑ Harper, John; Arnold Oranje; Neil Prose (2000). Textbook of Pediatric Dermatology. Blackwell Science. p.  156. ISBN   978-0-86542-939-0.
  6. ↑ Pairaudeau, P. W.; Wilson, R. G.; Hall, M. A.; Milne, M. (18 May 1991). "Inhalation of baby powder: an unappreciated hazard". BMJ. 302 (6786): 1200–1201. doi: 10.1136/bmj.302.6786.1200 . PMC   1669894 . PMID   2043820.
  7. ↑ Mofenson, H. C.; Greensher, J.; DiTomasso, A.; Okun, S. (August 1981). "Baby Powder—A Hazard!". Pediatrics. 68 (2): 265–6. doi:10.1542/peds.68.2.265. PMID   7267235. S2CID   39006289.
  8. ↑ Weil, Andrew (8 October 2012). "How Bad Is Baby Powder?". DrWeil.com. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  9. ↑ Mohan, Melissa; Whysner, John (2000). "Perineal application of talc and cornstarch powders: Evaluation of ovarian cancer risk". American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. 182 (3): 720–724. doi:10.1067/mob.2000.104259. PMID   10739536.
  10. ↑ Mills, Paul; Riordan, Deborah; Cress, Rosemary; Young, Heather (2004). "Perineal talc exposure and epithelial ovarian cancer risk in the Central Valley of California". International Journal of Cancer. 112 (3): 458–464. doi:10.1002/ijc.20434. PMID   15382072. S2CID   2464631.
  11. ↑ Johnson & Johnson Has a Baby Powder Problem Bloomberg, Retrieved April 20, 2017.
  12. ↑ "J&J knew for decades that asbestos lurked in its Baby Powder". Reuters . "No mother was going to powder her baby with 1% of a known carcinogen irregardless of the large safety factor." - An FDA official commenting in 1975 on the talc testing method J&J backed
  13. ↑ Hsu, Tiffany; Rabin, Roni Caryn (May 19, 2020). "Johnson & Johnson to End Talc-Based Baby Powder Sales in North America". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  14. ↑ Hoskins, Peter (12 August 2022). "Johnson & Johnson to replace talc-based powder with cornstarch". BBC News . Retrieved 19 August 2022.


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