The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) says all cosmetic products containing talc powder including Johnson’s Baby Powder registered for use in Ghana have been rigorously evaluated to ensure that they are asbestos free.
According to a statement signed by the Chief Executive Officer, Delese Darko, there have been increased regulatory activities and measures to ensure public safety in the use of all cosmetic products containing talcum powder since 2018.
This comes on the heels of ongoing discussions linking the use of Johnson’s baby talcum powder with ovarian cancers in a video circulating on social media as noted by the FDA.
Talc, according to the FDA, can be naturally found near asbestos and can be contaminated during the mining process. “Over-exposure to such contaminated talc has been linked to cases of ovarian and lung cancers”, the statement read.
The Authority further gave assurance that talc-containing powders submitted to them undergo rigorous laboratory analysis to ensure they do not contain asbestos.
FDA stated that documents submitted for registration are strictly evaluated to ensure that talc in these products are certified from the country of origin as asbestos-free.
As part of regulatory activities on all talc-based products, the Authority conducts a biennial market surveillance to verify that products being marketed continue to be free of asbestos.
“The FDA will take appropriate action and inform the public on new safety data related to the use of talc in these products”, the statement said.
