The use of baby powder on packers and different packing devices is not new in this community. Packers often come out of a bag or box being extremely sticky, oily, and tacky, causing discomfort for many individuals. Using baby powder has been one of the go-to solutions in making these packers less sticky and more durable over time. However, in recent years, talcum powder has been involved in multiple lawsuits where defendants claimed that talcum powder was linked to their ovarian cancer.
In 2018, Reuters reported that Johnson & Johnson’s was aware for decades that their baby powder’s main ingredient, raw talcum powder, had tested positive for trace amounts of asbestos since 1971. The company denied (and still continues to deny) these allegations. However, during the lawsuits, the plaintiff provided evidence that the company was aware for decades and the court ruled in their favor. The top jury settlement amounted to over $4 billion.
In 2020, Johnson & Johnson discontinued their talcum powder products in the US and Canada, however that doesn’t mean they aren’t still out there. We are advising this community of this issue and strongly suggest an alternative to talcum powder when using them on your packers.
I recommend using cornstarch. It’s low-cost, functionality, and availability makes it one of the best products on the market to remove oiliness and stickiness from packers and prosthetics. If your packer is a darker skin tone and adding white cornstarch doesn’t make sense, try adding some coco powder to darken it!
I also recommend looking into the following companies who make their own powders:
TranszWear – Cyber Packer Dust
Although some research has been inconclusive [1], I believe in playing it safe. A giant company kept it hidden for decades that their talcum powder contained traces of asbestos, which lead to ovarian and other types of cancers in thousands of people. If you choose to use talcum powder, I urge you to do research before and assess the potential health risks.
I do not recommend using talcum powder products on your packer and putting them in your underwear. Even if you are using packing underwear and there is no direct skin contact to the packer, I still advise against it. To remove the tacky feeling from a packer, I recommend cornstarch
If you have had a full hysterectomy (including oophorectomy – removal of both ovaries), I still advise against using this product. The most common cancers linked were ovarian, however, this talcum powder has been linked to bladder cancer as well.
Please do not take this as medical advice, I are simply providing information and research links related to ovarian cancer and talcum powder in an effort that if they are connected, I helped warn the community and hopefully prevented anything negative from happening. For more information, please read the links provided below.
Sources
Girion, L. (2018, December 14). Special Report: J&J knew for decades that asbestos lurked in its Baby Powder. Retrieved from https://www.reuters.com/article/us-johnson-johnson-cancer-special-report/special-report-jj-knew-for-decades-that-asbestos-lurked-in-its-baby-powder-idUSKBN1OD1RQ
Gordon, S. (2020, January 7). Study: No Major Link Between Baby Powder, Cancer. Retrieved from www.webmd. com/cancer/news/20200107/large-study-shows-no-strong-link-between-baby-powder-ovarian-cancer#1
Huncharek, M., Geschwind, J., Kupelnick, B. (2003, March-April). Perineal application of cosmetic talc and risk of invasive epithelial ovarian cancer: a meta-analysis of 11,933 subjects from sixteen observational studies. Abstract. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12820486
Llamas, M. (N.d.). Talcum Powder Lawsuits. Retrieved from https://www.drugwatch.com/talcum-powder/lawsuits/
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2019, October 18). FDA Advises Consumers to Stop Using Certain Cosmetic Products. Retrieved from https://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/cosmetics-recalls-alerts/fda-advises-consumers-stop-using-certain-cosmetic-products
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