Johnson & Johnson’s consumer health care division is relaunching its line of baby care products, removing concerning ingredients like dyes and sulfates and replacing mineral oil with coconut oil in an effort to appeal to ingredient-conscious millennial moms. But it isn’t touching the talc in its Johnson’s Baby Powder. In fact, the company is adding a new talc-containing product – one that combines talc with cotton. (more…)

Asbestosis is a serious, progressive, chronic lung disease caused by the scarring of lung tissue due to asbestos exposure. Most people become exposed to asbestos in work environments that are contaminated with asbestos, a fibrous mineral that has been linked to other serious diseases including mesothelioma and other cancers. (more…)

Mesothelioma is a rare cancer that affects the lining of internal organs. There are four types of mesothelioma: pleural, peritoneal, pericardial and tunica vaginalis (testicular). All types of mesothelioma have been linked to asbestos exposure. Most exposure to asbestos occurs in the workplace. The disease can take 15 to 50 years from exposure to present with symptoms. (more…)

Beginning in the 1920s, medical professionals linked exposure to asbestos, particularly in the workplace, to mesothelioma, a rare but deadly form of lung cancer. In the decades that followed, the use of asbestos in the U.S. declined. Industries that continued to manufacture asbestos-containing products were required to have their workers wear protective clothing such as coveralls or similar full-body clothing, head covering, gloves and foot coverings. Despite these protective measures, workers can still be exposed. (more…)

Firefighters are at a much greater risk of cancer than ever before, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The reason? Houses contain material that, when on fire, can release toxic fumes and other contaminants. (more…)

The State of Hawaii has fined the Honolulu Fire Department $7,000 for not protecting firefighters from dangerous asbestos they were exposed to during a summertime fire at the Marco Polo condominiums that killed three people and destroyed dozens of units. The fire was the largest high-rise fire in the state’s history, and hundreds of Honolulu firefighters worked to contain the blaze. (more…)

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is looking into claims of asbestos contamination in cosmetics products sold at children’s retailer Claire’s Stores Inc., after testing by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) on 15 talc-containing products revealed that three of the products sold at Clair’s contained asbestos. (more…)

The United Kingdom has appointed the first mesothelioma nurse specialist charged with helping armed forces personnel and veterans affected by the deadly cancer caused by asbestos exposure. The nurse, Helen Wilkes, will be based at the University Hospital Southhampton NHS Trust, where she will assist patients in Southamptom, Portsmouth, central and southern England, the Channel Islands and the Falklands. Wilkes will work with local support groups to raise awareness about the disease and to connect patients with mesothelioma to information regarding treatment and clinical trials. (more…)

The movie Steve McQueen: American Icon, the story of the American actor called the “King of Cool,” is now available on digital DVD. The “bad boy” actor was one of the highest paid actors in the 1970s, and went on to star in movies likes The Thomas Crown Affair, The Cincinnati Kid, and The Great Escape. But his career was unexpectedly cut short after he was diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma in the late 1970s. He died in 1981. (more…)

A 30-second public service announcement (PSA) video, “Asbestos: The Killer You Can’t See,” captures the tragic reality about deadly asbestos through hand-drawn animation by Chocolate Moose Media. The PSA reveals how a young girl loses her father to asbestos, highlighting the insidious and nearly invisible fibers that caused his death. (more…)