Scientific Association of the European Talc Industry aisbl

On 5 December 2000, the US National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) issued a press release announcing that, among other substances, talc was to be considered for listing in the next 10th Federal Report on Carcinogens (RoC). To assist the US National Toxicology Program (NTP), the NTP Board of Scientific Counsellors reviewed the substances during a public hearing organised 13 - 15 December 2000 at the Wyndham City Center in Washington. (Official notice of the meeting was given in the Federal Register Vol. 65 n° 201 p. 61352 et sq, updated in Fed. Reg. Vol. 65 n° 233 p. 75726 et sq.)

The result of the December meeting was that the NTP Board of Scientific Counsellors recommended not to list "talc (non asbestiform)" in the 10th ROC. No decision has yet been reached for "talc (asbestiform)".

During this public meeting, several experts presented arguments against listing talc (asbestiform as well as non asbestiform) as a reasonably anticipated human carcinogen. EUROTALC’s position was submitted in writing and was presented at the hearing by John Addison and Arthur Langer with regard to the confusion surrounding talc and asbestos, and by Allen Gibbs with regard to epidemiological and pleurodesis evidence.

In October 2005, NTP concluded that existing scientific data "provided inadequate characterization of the materials under study to reach definite conclusions concerning the specific substances responsible for the range of adverse health outcomes reported." Consequently, the two talc nominations, i.e. cosmetic talc and occupational exposure to talc, were withdrawn from review for the 12th RoC.

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