Reacción a "Talc is classified as "probably carcinogenic to humans" by the IARC"

I worked with a panel of other scientists to evaluate the studies used in the IARC report on talc. The studies provided evidence that talc is probably carcinogenic to humans. The evidence was strongest in human cell and animal studies, but there were also many epidemiological studies that consistently showed an increased incidence of ovarian cancer among women who reported using talc powder in the genital region. Self-reporting can sometimes be unreliable, and there’s another confounder – asbestos. Talc powder may contain traces of asbestos, which is also a carcinogen. So, the human study evidence was not strong enough to say that talc causes ovarian cancer.    

Industry standards for testing for asbestos in talc-based consumer products are not sufficient to rule out asbestos contamination, and therefore we could not determine whether the link between body powders and ovarian cancer is due to talc or asbestos. Women should consider the possible health effects of both talc and asbestos when they make decisions about using body powder and other talc-based personal care products.  

The purpose of the IARC report on talc is to evaluate the potential for talc to cause cancer.  This report will now be used by regulatory agencies around the world to assess actual risk for humans and to set safety standards or guidelines for talc exposure.