Baby Powder Recalled Over Asbestos Contamination Concerns

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) headquarters in White Oak, Md., on June 5, 2023. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

New York manufacturer Dynarex Corp. is voluntarily recalling several cases of baby powder from the market after it was found to be potentially contaminated with asbestos.

The company is recalling 62 cases of item No. 4875, Dynacare Baby Powder, Batch No. B 051, which were sent to distributors in Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Kentucky, North Carolina, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Florida, Washington, and Wisconsin, according to a press release published by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Sept. 19.

The product was also sold online on Amazon.

Although there have been no illnesses or adverse events reported to date, Dynarex has ceased distribution of the product while an investigation proceeds to determine what caused the contamination of the talc.

Asbestos is a commonly used term to describe a group of silicate minerals that form bundles of long, very thin mineral fibers, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It’s naturally occurring and a known carcinogen. Breathing in particles is the primary way people get exposed to asbestos. The asbestos fibers get lodged in the lungs and remain there for a considerable period of time, leading to health issues.

Since children’s lungs are smaller, and they breathe faster than adults, they are more susceptible to asbestos exposure. They are also more likely to ingest the substance than adults.

“During talc mining, if talc mining sites are not selected carefully or steps taken to purify the talc ore sufficiently, the talc may be contaminated with asbestos,” Dynarex said in a press release.

The recalled baby powder is packaged in 14-ounce plastic bottles, with 24 bottles to a case. The batch/lot number is B051, and the expiration date for the product is December 2026.

Consumers can reach out to Dynarex Corp. for product recall queries.

Dangers of Asbestos

According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer, there is sufficient evidence that asbestos causes mesothelioma, a relatively rare tumor that can be cancerous, affecting the thin membranes that line the chest and abdomen, as well as cancers of the lungs, larynx, and ovaries.

“In fact, it is thought that most mesotheliomas are due to asbestos exposure,” according to the National Cancer Institute. “Asbestos exposure may also increase the risk of asbestosis (an inflammatory condition affecting the lungs that can cause shortness of breath, coughing, and permanent lung damage) and other nonmalignant lung and pleural disorders, including pleural plaques (changes in the membranes surrounding the lung), pleural thickening, and benign pleural effusions (abnormal collections of fluid between the thin layers of tissue lining the lungs and the wall of the chest cavity).”

People afflicted with pleural plaques are at significant risk of developing lung cancer. Asbestos poisoning arises when individuals are exposed to the mineral for a prolonged period of time.

Asbestos-related diseases can take 10 to 40 years for symptoms to emerge. The typical symptoms include shortness of breath, wheezing, hoarseness, a persistent cough that gets worse over time, and blood in the fluid coughed up from the lungs, according to the Cancer Institute.