The Food and Drug Administration issued a proposal on Thursday to require cosmetics makers who use talc to test their products for asbestos.
The FDA said that if finalized, the rule would "help protect consumers who use talc-containing cosmetic products from harmful exposure to asbestos." The FDA notes that talc is used in cosmetics and other personal care products to absorb moisture, prevent the appearance of caking, make facial makeup opaque, or improve the feel of a product.
According to the Mesothelioma Center, not all talc deposits contain asbestos, but talc is often contaminated by asbestos.
"Talc deposits tend to contain the most toxic forms of asbestos, such as tremolite or anthophyllite. These forms are more carcinogenic than chrysotile, the most-used type of asbestos," the group says.
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Asbestos is considered by the FDA to be a carcinogen and the agency says the mineral can cause lung cancer, mesothelioma and asbestosis.
"For many years the FDA has been sampling and testing talc-containing cosmetics for asbestos as well as working with our federal partners on efforts to reduce consumers' risk of exposure to asbestos, a known human carcinogen, from contaminated talc-containing cosmetic products," said Linda Katz, director of the FDA's Office of Cosmetics and Colors. "We have carefully considered the scientific evidence and complex policy issues related to detecting and identifying asbestos in talc and talc-containing cosmetic products. We believe that the proposed testing techniques are appropriate methods to detect asbestos to help ensure the safety of talc-containing cosmetic products."
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The rule proposal comes after Johnson & Johnson settled a lawsuit involving allegations of deceptive marketing practices for products containing talc. Talc was contained in popular Johnson & Johnson products such as baby powder and body powder.
The agreement required Johnson & Johnson to stop making, marketing, promoting, selling or distributing any talc-based baby and body powders in multiple states.
The settlement also allows Johnson & Johnson to deny any wrongdoing.
Untested cosmetics or products found to contain asbestos would be considered adulterated under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act if the proposed rule is enacted.
