*  Talc
This is found in baby powders, face powders, body powders as well as some
contraceptives such as condoms.  Talc is a known carcinogen and is a major
cause of ovarian cancer when used in the genital area.  It can be harmful
if inhaled as it can lodge in the lungs, causing respiratory disorders.

http://www.anewlife.co.uk/toxic-toiletries.html

Analysis Finds Link Between Talc Powders, Ovarian Cancer
By Eric Davis
WebMD Medical News

April 11, 2000 (Atlanta) -- For many women, a dusting of powder helps
freshen the vaginal area. But a new study suggests that women should read
the labels of so-called "talcum" feminine and bath powders closely.
Cornstarch-based products may be better choices.
The study shows that powders can migrate from the vaginal area to the
ovaries, and -- if the powder contains talc -- could slightly increase a
woman's risk of ovarian cancer.
Slightly is the key word here. "Exposure to talc is unlikely to be a
primary factor in most cases of ovarian cancer," writes John Whysner, MD,
PhD, a researcher with the American Health Foundation in Valhalla, N.Y. He
says there is not enough information to clearly say whether there is a
causal relationship. Whysner reviewed over 50 papers on the subject,
written over the past 30 years, for the analysis published in the American
Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Talc is a mineral compound that is similar to asbestos; the two minerals
are often found together in geological formations. In the past, some talc
powders have been found to contain asbestos, but quality assurance
programs have now minimized this contamination. The modest association
between ovarian cancer and talc exposure found in some studies has been
attributed to asbestos contamination, Whysner says.
Cornstarch, in comparison, is a food substance found in the corn kernel.
Because of cornstarch's chemical nature, it is biologically implausible
for it to cause cancer, he adds.
Whysner's review includes studies of more than 2,000 women with ovarian
cancer who had used talc- and/or cornstarch-based products in the vaginal
area. Some used the powder to dust sanitary napkins as well; some stored
diaphragms or condoms in the powder.
Whether these powders can move through the fallopian tubes to the ovaries,
where they might play a role in causing ovarian tumors, has been debated.
In some studies, tubal ligation (having the tubes "tied") was linked with
a decrease in the risk of ovarian cancer, Whysner writes.
"The risk for ovarian cancer was highest among women who used talc and had
not undergone surgical sterilization," he says. He cites many studies in
which the migration of particles through the fallopian tubes has been
demonstrated. Both talc and asbestos have been found in human ovarian
tissue.
Whysner writes that most studies have found that an increased risk for
ovarian cancer is associated with exposure to talc power. "None [has]
found an increased risk associated with ... cornstarch powders," he says.
Charles J. Dunton, MD, a professor of gynecology and oncology at Jefferson
Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, tells
WebMD, "There's not a cause for women to get overly upset if they've used
talc in the past. The association is not that strong, and besides, it's
all statistics, and there might be ... factors that cause the statistics
to be inaccurate."
Also, because asbestos used to be found in talc powders, some of the early
findings may be distorting the current picture, Dunton says. "Most of the
baby powders now contain cornstarch rather than talc, but there are
products like Shower-to-Shower that contain a lot of talc. ... Although
the risk is very minimal, I would avoid talc in the [vaginal] area. That's
the take-home message."
Ira Horowitz, MD, PhD, professor and vice chairman of
gynecology/obstetrics and director of gynecologic oncology at Emory
University School of Medicine in Atlanta, tells WebMD, "What I tell my
patients is that there looks like there might be a causal relationship
between talc and ovarian cancer ... [but] there's a lot we don't know."
 
Vital Information:
*    A new study has shown that dusting the vaginal area with powders
containing talc may slightly increase a woman's risk of ovarian cancer.
*    Talc is a mineral compound similar to asbestos, and the two are often
found together in geological formations, which might explain the increased
cancer risk.
*    Women should opt for cornstarch over talc powders. But there's no need
to panic, as the increased risk of cancer is small, asbestos contamination
is better controlled today than in the past, and the information on any
association between talc and cancer is not complete.
http://my.webmd.com/content/article/23/1728_56505?src=Inktomi&condition=Home%20&
%20Top%20Stories

Talcum Powder and Cancer
American Cancer Society
http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_6x_Talcum_Powder_and_Cancer.asp?
sitearea=
Talcum powder is produced from talc, a magnesium trisilicate mineral,
which in its natural form may contain asbestos, a known human carcinogen.
Because of this association with asbestos, all home-use talcum products
marketed after about 1973 - baby powders, body powders, facial powders -
have been required by law to be asbestos-free. Asbestos can cause lung
cancer and mesotheliomas (cancers affecting the lining surfaces of the
pleural and peritoneal cavities).
It has been suggested that talcum powder may be carcinogenic to the
covering layer of the ovaries through the migration of talcum powder
particles (applied to the genital area, sanitary napkins, diaphragms, or
condoms) through the vagina, uterus, and fallopian tubes to the ovary.
Several epidemiologic studies have examined the relationship between
talcum powder and cancer of the ovary. Findings are mixed, with some
studies reporting a slightly increased risk and some reporting no
association. A case-control study published in 1997 of 313 women with
ovarian cancer and 422 without this disease found that the women with
cancer were more likely to have applied talcum powder to their external
genital area or to have used genital deodorant sprays. Women using these
products had a 50% to 90% higher risk of developing ovarian cancer.
Storing diaphragms with powder did not significantly increase cancer risk.
Since many of these women might have used products with more asbestos
contamination than that in current products, the ovarian cancer risk for
current users is difficult to evaluate. Until additional information is
available, women may wish to consider avoiding these products or
substituting cornstarch-based powders that contain no talc. One study has
suggested that an increased risk, if it exists, might be confined to
borderline and endometrioid (uterine-like) tumors and therefore might not
affect the majority of ovarian cancers. Experimental toxicology studies
have suggested carcinogenicity of inhaled, asbestos-free talc powder in
some rodent species but not in others. The most recent publication on this
topic, a prospective study (considered to generally be the most
informative) found no effect on ovarian cancer overall but a 40% increase
risk in one type -- invasive serous cancers.
No increased risk of human lung cancer has been reported in association
with the use of cosmetic talcum powder. Although some studies of talc
miners and millers have suggested an increased risk of lung cancer and
other respiratory diseases, the industrial grade talc to which such
workers are exposed contains varying amounts of silica and asbestos,
unlike the purified talc sold to consumers. One study of pottery workers
exposed to silica dust and nonasbestiform talc showed an excess risk of
lung cancer, while other studies of occupational talc exposure have not
found an increased risk. While experimental evidence suggests that some
forms of silica may cause cancer in animals, observational studies in
humans are not conclusive.
REFERENCES
Cook LS, Kamb ML, Weiss NS. Perineal powder exposure and the risk of
ovarian cancer. Am J Epidemiol 1997; 145:459-465.
Gertrg DM, Hunter DJ, Cramer DW, Colditz GA, Speizer FE, Willett WC,
Hankinson SE. Prospective study of talc use and ovarian cancer. J Natl
Cancer Inst; 2000: 92:249-252.
Harlow BL, Cramer DW, Bell DA, Welch WR. Perineal exposure to talc and
ovarian cancer risk. Obstet Gynecol 1992; 80: 19-26.
Hartge P, Stewart PA. Occupation and ovarian cancer: a case-control study
in the Washington DC metropolitan area, 1978-1981. J Occup Med 1994; 36
(8): 924-927.
Thomas TL, Stewart PA. Mortality from lung cancer and respiratory disease
among pottery workers exposed to silica and talc. Am J Epidemiol 1987; 125
(1): 35-43.
Revised: 02/03/2000

Condoms MAY have some of these chemicals.

Where is the evidence they cause ANY disease?

LOL--yet you reject the abundant evidence that HIV exists and causes
AIDS?

Damn, dude, you really need some serious help.

        George M. Carter