Does baby powder cause ovarian cancer?

Question

There has been an article circulating on social media which says that a 1982 study implicates baby powder usage in ovarian cancer.

As early as 1982, studies have shown a link between baby powder and ovarian cancer in women. Findings have shown that women using talc­based powders are 300 times more likely to be diagnosed with cancer.

• Source: Talcum powder allegedly causing cancer

Is there any truth to this claim?

Answer 1

In 2008, there was a critical review of the evidence that using talcum powder in the perineal region might cause ovarian cancer.

Here is the paper:

• Muscat JE, Huncharek MS, Perineal talc use and ovarian cancer: a critical review. Eur J Cancer Prev. 2008 Apr;17(2):139-46. doi: 10.1097/CEJ.0b013e32811080ef.

The full-text of a draft submission for the paper is available here.

It found that,

• several studies had found an association. (Keep reading, there is a twist!)
• the relative risk was about 1.3 - which means 30% more likely, not 300 times more likely.
• although talc has a similar classification to asbestos, it is not carcinogenic like asbestos.
• the studies had a number of holes (e.g. inconsistent dose-response effects), raising concerns about their validity as evidence of causation.
• there are inconsistencies between these findings and other studies of the safety of talc.

They conclude that these findings are NOT enough to conclude that talcum powder causes ovarian cancer:

Talc is not genotoxic. Mechanistic, pathology and animal model studies have not found evidence for a carcinogenic effect. In summary, these data collectively do not indicate that cosmetic talc causes ovarian cancer.