Is it safe to use talcum powder on my baby?
The use of baby powder is rather common although many parents have
changed to using ointments instead. Reasons most parents give for
preferring powder is the feeling that it absorbs moisture better
and prevents friction between the baby's bottom and nappy. However,
after decades of use, powders have fallen out of favour in the
medical community for a few reasons:
Talcum powder is usually made up of various combinations of zinc
stearate, magnesium silicates, as well as other silicates which are
finely ground. The size of particles is so small that they are both
easily carried in the air like dust and can reach even the smallest
areas of the lung.
There have been numerous reports of babies being involved in
life-threatening incidents from inhaling the powder. A good number
of these cases happened during a nappy change when adult
supervision is usually very high. However, as every parent
(including myself) knows, babies and toddlers can be awfully quick
sometimes, so reaching for and spilling the powder is not such a
difficult thing to do.
Many dermatologists feel that there isnt much advantage to powders
compared to ointments when it comes to preventing and treating
nappy rash.
So, clearly talc can cause pneumonia, inflammation (or swelling) of
the airways of babies, and even death. What about cancer? When the
link to asbestos and cancer came to light, it was noticed that a
lot of the exposure to asbestos was accompanied by other things
which could be inhaled, such as fibres and dust - including talc.
However, a specific link to talc exposure and lung cancer has not
been established. On the other hand, there has been some
interesting research into a possible linking of talcum powder to
ovarian cancer.
For a number of years now, epidemiologists (scientists who try to
establish cause and effect relationships in diseases) have been
interested in trying to find some link to the environment and
ovarian cancer. Some of their focus has been on talcum powder
because it is a product that is commonly used in the groin area by
women. Several of these studies have shown a possible link between
talcum powder use and ovarian cancer while others have not. One
interesting study published in 1996 was done by examining the
ovaries of women who had had them removed for reasons other than
ovarian cancer. In that study, talcum powder was found in all the
ovaries including the ones from women who did not use talcum powder
on themselves. This suggests that talcum powder could reach the
ovaries of women who use talcum powder on their babies.
The relationship between talcum powder and cancer is by no means
certain. It may turn out there is no relationship. On the other
hand, it could be an important contributing factor in the
development of ovarian cancer. More studies need to be done.
Currently, there is absolutely no hard evidence to suggest talcum
powder use causes cancer in babies. However, the immediate danger
of inhaling baby powder is clear. Therefore, I would discourage its
use.
