Since at least the 1970s, the regulatory agency downplayed health concerns about talc in powders and cosmetics, deferring again and again to manufacturers.
Only now, as pressure mounts from lawsuits and a Reuters investigation, is the agency stepping up testing.
At an invitation-only gathering late last year, U.S. regulators and their guests huddled at a hotel near Washington, D.C., to discuss the best way to detect cancer-causing asbestos in talc powders and cosmetics.
The “Asbestos in Talc Symposium,” sponsored by the Food and Drug Administration, was dominated by industry hands: Most of the 21 non-government participants had done work for talc companies, such as testing and serving as expert witnesses and consultants, symposium documents and other records show.
https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-health-fda-talc/