environmental Strategist, between the lines: As your environmental team member, one of Environmental Risk Managers functions is to share competitive environmental intelligence on trending environmental exposures that can impact your client’s. Due to recent events we want to make sure Talc is on your radar screen. That’s right, the Talc used to powder babies bottoms, the Talc basketball player LeBron James puts on his hands as part of a pre-game ritual to make a big cloud of it go into the air.
Talc is dug from the ground and sometimes can be interlaced with asbestos. Talc has microscopic fibers that can damage lungs if inhaled. China and Pakistan are two of the biggest suppliers of talc together providing 150,000 tons per year to the US.
In the United States roughly 25% of talc is used for Plastics, 17% for ceramics, 15% for paints, 15% for paper, 9% for cosmetics, 6% for roofing, 3% for rubber
Talc as a food additive, filler for capsules, pills and chewing gum. It’s used in processing olive oil, it is used in electric cables and insecticides. Talc powder has the ability to absorb moisture, absorb oils, absorb odor, serve as a lubricant, and produce an effect with human skin. Due to its low shear strength, Talc is one of the oldest known solid lubricants. Talc is a friction-reducing additive in lubricating oils.
A form of Talc known as “soapstone” is a soft rock that is easily carved and has been used to make ornamental and practical objects for thousands of years. It has been used to make soap, crayons, sculptures, bowls, countertops, sinks, stoves, hearths, pipe bowls, and many other objects.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that parents not use baby powder because it poses a risk of respiratory problems, including breathing trouble and serious lung damage if the baby inhales it. The particles are so small, it’s difficult to keep them out of the air while applying the powder.
The links below offer more information on the environmental exposures of Talc.
http://www.clydeco.com/insight/article/is-talc-the-new-asbestos
http://www.fairwarning.org/2015/09/talc-and-asbestos/
http://www.mesothelioma.com/asbestos-exposure/products/talc-powder/
http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancercauses/othercarcinogens/athome/talcum-powder-and-cancer