| Multivitamins, cholesterol drugs, antibiotics. Besides aiming to make us healthier, these capsules and tablets have another thing in common: some of them contain talc. I had heard of talc before because of its notorious connection to Johnson & Johnson’s baby powder. The iconic brand switched from using talc as its active ingredient to corn starch after numerous juries concluded that the naturally occurring mineral was tainted with asbestos, a known carcinogen. I didn’t realize we could all be eating talc as well until Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary held a roundtable May 20 with experts to discuss the latest findings about talc exposure and consumption. “I’m amazed that for 40 years this has been recognized to be a carcinogen, yet we feed it to our children,” Makary said. While contradicting evidence exists, he pointed to a 2019 paper published in Reproductive Toxicology that reviewed 30 studies examining the potential link between talc and cancer and found significant risk. The International Agency for Research on Cancer defines talc as “probably carcinogenic to humans.” The list of drugs and vitamins that contain talc is long. Makary said 20 million people in the US are eating talc on a regular basis. Many cosmetics contain talc, including eyeshadows and face powders. Talc also is often used to coat gum and keep it from sticking to the wrapper, though it isn’t listed as an ingredient. “If you don’t need to use it, why take a chance?” said Joellen Schildkraut, an epidemiology professor at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University who joined Makary for the roundtable discussion. There are seemingly plenty of talc-free options on vitamin and cosmetics shelves. A quick look at the inactive ingredients on a vitamin label should be enough to tell you whether talc is in your favorite supplement. Similarly, makeup will include it in ingredient lists. One thing to watch out for: some companies may list magnesium silicate instead, which is the main component of talc. With drugs, it may be harder to avoid, but Makary indicated he wants the FDA to “take a serious look at talc” as an ingredient. “Talc clearly has serious health concerns with it,” he said. It might not be the cause of a rise in gastrointestinal cancer in young adults, “but it may be contributing.” — Anna Edney | 
