Other Studies

The most recent cohort study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, pooled a number of high-level epidemiological studies and found no statistically significant increased risk of ovarian cancer with talc use.⁹ The study reconfirms that a statistical association between ovarian cancer and powder users is not found in large, prospective cohort studies, although some, but not all, case-control studies do indicate a slight statistical association. Case-control studies are studies where groups of people with a history of a specific disease are asked questions about different possible risk factors. These risk factors can include use of certain products in their past. One potential reason that some have found slight statistical associations is the potential for an overestimation of the true association due to “recall bias.” Recall bias is when people with a disease are more likely to overestimate their exposure to these risk factors than people without that disease. In these studies, women who know they have ovarian cancer will try hard to remember anything that might be important to explain why they got this terrible disease, which can artificially make it appear that women with cancer used more talcum powder.⁸

Talc is used to reduce fluid accumulation in lungs

A medical procedure called pleurodesis helps lungs stick to the chest wall to keep collapsed lungs inflated or prevent fluid from accumulating around the lung.

In some cases, talc is injected directly into the lining of the lungs to prevent fluid accumulation. Large-scale reports of patients show that out of hundreds of patients who had this procedure done over dozens of years, there have been no cases of mesothelioma.