In ancient times Egyptians have used talc for its soft and absorptive properties. And for over a century now, Johnson and Johnson baby powder has been an integral part of the diaper bag. It has a characteristic smell that has become synonymous to the babies’ smell. But the news of Johnson & Johnson causing cancer has alarmed the parents.
Do you trust the baby powder?
Many state that Johnson and Johnson baby powder causes ovarian cancer. Many have stopped using it without unfolding the facts. However, consider the following points before drawing any conclusion:
- The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), part of the World Health Organization (WHO), classified talc that contains asbestos to be “carcinogenic to humans.” However, Johnson and Johnson baby talc is free of asbestos. NDTV stated that “In recent months, regulatory authorities from Singapore, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Kuwait, and Egypt have also reaffirmed the purity of Johnson & Johnson’s powder and that Johnson and Johnson baby powder doesn’t contain asbestos that causes cancer.
- All the allegations link the usage of Johnson baby powder to ovarian cancer but none suggest an increased frequency of cervical, vaginal, or endometrial cancer in women who use talc. If you dust talcum powder on your genitals, it has to travel quite a long way before it gets to the tissues of the ovary. And if at all Johnson & Johnson baby powder caused cancer, incidents of cervical or vaginal cancer should have been reported first.
- After exposure to asbestos, a person is diagnosed with cancer many years later. To study the connection between Johnson & Johnson baby powder and cancer, one has to study past behaviors of women. Recalling 20-year-old behaviors and habits are often found to be erroneous. Still, three cohort studies have followed 80000 women for 6-24 years to determine if using Johnson baby powder caused ovarian cancer. A 24-year study of 78,630 women, of which 31,789 used talc showed no overall increase in ovarian cancer cases. In fact, the instance of ovarian cancer was attributed to older age, family history, inherited genes mutation and long term use of hormone therapy.
- Talc is even found in the foods we eat, including chewing gum, olive oil, and rice which doesn’t cause any harm to us.
- Clinical evidence, research and nearly 40 years of studies by independent medical experts around the world support that Johnson baby powder isn’t cancer causing. Many governments and non-governmental agencies, such as the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel and U.S. Food and Drug Administration have investigated that Johnson and Johnson baby powder is safe.
After researching all the facts, many parents believe that if the baby powder is pure then there is no harm in sprinkling the baby powder directly on the baby. However, one needs to follow all the instructions mentioned on the label of Johnson and Johnson baby powder and use it cautiously.
1.Always avoid sprinkling baby powder directly on the genitals. Instead, take a little powder in your hands and pat a layer on the baby’s skin.
2. It is advisable to shake the powder onto a muslin cloth and then use this cloth to gently pat the powder onto your baby’s skin.
3. Keep the bottle of powder away from the baby’s face while taking the powder in your palms, to avoid possible inhalation.
4. Keep baby powder out of reach of the children.
Even after following all the precautions, in case the baby, accidentally inhales the powder on the application, please don’t worry. A particle needs to cross 5 levels of filtration in the respiratory tract before reaching the lungs. Only particles less than the size of 5 microns can reach the lungs. However, Johnson and Johnson baby powder particles are much larger in size and cannot cause any harm to your baby or to you.
Our generation has the power of the internet. So, utilize it to the fullest. Dig into the facts, rely on authentic sources of information and lay your trust on the brand that has stood by each mother’s trust through all the testing times spanning across generations.
