Editing Talc (section)

===Association with asbestos===
One particular issue with commercial use of talc is its frequent co-location in underground deposits with [[asbestos]] ore. Asbestos is a general term for different types of fibrous silicate minerals, desirable in construction for their heat resistant properties.<ref>{{cite web |title=Asbestos |url=https://mineralseducationcoalition.org/minerals-database/asbestos/ |website=Minerals Education Coalition}}</ref> There are six varieties of asbestos; the most common variety in manufacturing, [[white asbestos]], is in the [[serpentine subgroup|serpentine]] family.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Plummer |first1=Charles C. |last2=Carlson |first2=Diane H. |last3=Hammersley |first3=Lisa |title=Physical Geology |isbn=9781260091656 |edition=Sixteenth|date=22 January 2018 |publisher=McGraw-Hill Education }}</ref> Serpentine minerals are [[sheet silicate]]s; although not in the serpentine family, talc is also a sheet silicate, with two sheets connected by magnesium cations. The frequent co-location of talc deposits with asbestos may result in contamination of mined talc with white asbestos, which poses serious health risks when dispersed into the air and inhaled. Stringent quality control since 1976, including separating [[cosmetic-grade|cosmetic-]] and [[food-grade]] talc from that destined for industrial use, has largely eliminated this issue, but it remains a potential hazard requiring mitigation in the mining and processing of talc.<ref>{{cite news |title=Is talcum powder asbestos? |url=https://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/996/is-talcum-powder-asbestos/ |website=[[The Straight Dope]] |date=16 February 1990 |access-date=9 March 2019}}</ref> A 2010 US [[FDA]] survey failed to find asbestos in a variety of talc-containing products.<ref>
{{cite web
|title = Talc Ingredients
|publisher = U.S. Food and Drug Administration|year=2010
|url = https://www.fda.gov/Cosmetics/ProductsIngredients/Ingredients/ucm293184.htm}}</ref> A 2018 [[Reuters]] investigation asserted that pharmaceuticals company [[Johnson & Johnson]] knew for decades that there was asbestos in its baby powder,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/johnsonandjohnson-cancer/|title=J&J knew for decades that asbestos lurked in its Baby Powder|work=Reuters|language=en|access-date=2018-12-15}}</ref> and in 2020 the company stopped selling its baby powder in the US and Canada.<ref>{{cite news |title=Johnson & Johnson stops selling baby powder in US |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-52732755 |access-date=20 May 2020 |work=BBC News |date=20 May 2020}}</ref> There were calls for Johnson & Johnson's largest shareholders to force the company to end global sales of baby powder, and hire an independent firm to conduct a racial justice audit as it had been marketed to African American and overweight women.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Johnson & Johnson shareholders called on to end talc baby powder sales |last=Perkins |first=Tom |newspaper=The Guardian |date=27 April 2022 |url= https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/apr/27/johnson-and-johnson-baby-powder-talc-shareholders}}</ref> On August 11, 2022, the company announced it would stop making talc-based powder by 2023 and replace it with cornstarch-based powders. The company said the talc-based powder is safe to use and does not contain asbestos.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/business-62514263 | title=J&J to replace talc-based powder with cornstarch after cancer lawsuits | date=August 12, 2022 | publisher=BBC News  |access-date=August 12, 2022 }}</ref>