Evaluation of Asbestos Exposure Risk from the Application of Talcum-based Powders — Use a Monte Carlo Analysis
Abstract No:
1548
Abstract Type:
Professional Poster
Authors:
J Ellis1
Institutions:
1Ramboll, Princeton, NJ
Presenter:
Jennifer Ellis
Ramboll
Ramboll
Description:
This poster will focus on the risk for developing an asbestos-related disease from the application of talcum-based powders assumed to be contaminated with asbestos. This presentation will: a) review published industrial hygiene data related to the application of talcum-based powders; b) provide estimates of cumulative exposures to asbestos based on exposure factors in the literature; and c) evaluate the risk associated to both infants and adults based on these assumptions.
Situation / Problem:
The presence of low concentrations of asbestos or minerals suspected of being of an asbestiform continue to be identified in consumer products. The presence of these accessory minerals and their potential health risk remains an important question that has not been fully resolved. Concerns over the presence of asbestos as a naturally-occurring contaminant in commercial products, including cosmetics containing talc, has continued to be reported. Due to the geological characteristics of talc, and its ubiquitous use in cosmetics and other consumer products, there is a possibility that amphibole minerals may be encountered by consumers in such products.
Methods:
A total of five scenarios were developed for the purpose of this evaluation: 1) four years of infant exposures from diapering, 2) eight years of adult exposures from diapering, 3) forty years of adult body powder use, 4) twenty years of adult body powder use, and 5) ten years of adult body powder use. For this assessment, we utilized measures of the frequency and duration of exposure events from the EPA exposure factors handbook. Information about the exposure time and concentration were estimated using past reported data and applying a conversion factor to transform dust measurements to f/cc. The authors performed a monte carlo analysis with Mathematica software, a statistical method which models the distribution of a variable based on information relating to the underlying variables. The selection of variables was repeated 1,000,000 times to provide probabilistic distribution of cumulative exposures to users.
Results / Conclusions:
Estimated cumulative exposures to asbestos associated with the use of cosmetic talc powder products, based on the above assumptions, are calculated as less than 0.01 f-yrs/cc. When the distribution of the exposure factors are statistically analyzed via monte carlo analysis, the estimated median cumulative exposure is 0.0008 f-yrs/cc, and the 99th percentile cumulative exposure estimate is 0.0129 f-yrs/cc. This assessment assumed all talcum powder products used throughout an individual's life contained trace or low-level asbestos, an extremely conservative assumption. These estimated cumulative exposures to asbestos are indistinguishable from cumulative background concentrations of asbestos and are considered a de minimis risk based on EPA risk estimates.
Primary Topic:
Risk Assessment and Management