Cralley, LJ; Key, MM; Groth, DH; Lainhart, WS; Ligo, RM
Constituents of cosmetic talcum powder products were assessed and their health hazards considered. Twenty two commercially available cosmetic talcum products were analyzed for fibrous content, selected metals, and quartz. Particle size distribution was determined by counting fibers under 430 power magnification. Cobalt (7440484), chromium (7440473), nickel (7440020), and manganese (7439965) were determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry; zirconium (7440677), titanium (7440326), zinc (7440666), iron (7439896), and magnesium (7439954) were determined by semiquantitative emission spectrography. The diameter of 80 to 95 percent of the particles sampled was under 5 microns; lengths ranged from 1.5 to 6 microns. Quartz as free silica (14808607) in the products ranged from 0.3 to 3.0 percent, except in one product which contained 54.4 percent quartz. With the exception of three products, cobalt content was under 25 parts per million (ppm), chromium under 22ppm, nickel under 29ppm, and manganese under 78ppm. However, two products had nickel contents of 1270 and 1210ppm; three products contained 329, 340, and 1170ppm chromium. The zirconium content of all but two products was under 10 milligrams per gram (mg/g). Titanium, zinc, and iron ranged from 0.1 to 50mg/g. Magnesium content was over 10mg/g. The authors conclude that all of the talc products have an appreciable fiber content and should be included as a source of inhaled fibers causing lung damage. The silica, chromium, and nickel content in four of the products are high enough to cause disease.