A team of researchers has recently found that there is no connection between ovarian cancer and baby powder. The researchers found that women in the US who were using the powder from time to time in the genital area showed no signs of ovarian cancer. The government scientists were thus unable to provide any evidence that could link talc-based powders with ovarian cancer. The study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association clearly showed that baby powder posed non-statistically significant. According to the US National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Epidemiologist Katie O’Brien, the trials were carried out to check for the role of powders in triggering ovarian cancer.

The researchers confirmed that the health concerns about talc powder sprung due to the lawsuits filed by women in the US who claimed that powder showed the presence of asbestos, which is likely the cause for cancer. Thus, looking at this, the researchers planned to find out the connection between talc-based and ovarian cancer but found no evidence. The talc present in the powder is similar to asbestos in terms of structure and it is found to cause cancer. But right from 1976, the cosmetic industry guaranteed to find no traces of asbestos in its talc products.

The US lawsuits have at the moment targeted the popular baby powder manufacturer Johnson & Johnson. The company has been receiving multimillion-dollar verdicts from several juries but still, they are adamant that they have been overturned. J&J has announced that its powder is regularly tested to ensure there is no asbestos. Back in October, the company was warned to recall a batch of baby powder after the US government found traces of asbestos in a bottle. However, the company reaffirmed in a statement in December that all their products are not only safe but also asbestos-free.