Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what advice and support his Department is providing to people in Shropshire who claim they have contracted, or might develop, serious illnesses as a result of using Johnson & Johnson talcum powder products.

Individuals in Shropshire who believe they may have been affected by use of talcum products should seek medical advice from their general practitioner. They may also wish to consider contacting specialist organisations for support and information on legal action.

The Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is the Government agency responsible for ensuring that medicines and medical devices work and are acceptably safe. Additives in medicines, termed excipients, are required to comply with the standards laid down in pharmacopeial monographs and can only be included in medicinal products at levels that are considered to be safe.

The MHRA is aware of general concerns in relation to the presence of asbestos in commercial talcum powder. However, pharmaceutical grade talcum powder has strict controls on the presence of asbestos. The British Pharmacopeia monograph for Purified Talc states that “Talc derived from deposits that are known to contain associated asbestos is not suitable for pharmaceutical use”. Furthermore, testing is required to confirm the absence of asbestos.

Oversight of commercial talc powder, including advice and support, falls within the remit of the Department for Business and Trade and specifically the Office of Product Safety and Standards (OPSS). The OPSS is the regulator of product safety and seeks to ensure that manufacturers, importers, and all those in the supply chain take steps to ensure that consumer products are safe, and they take any reports of negative health outcomes related to products incredibly seriously. Any serious undesirable effects related to cosmetic products should be directly reported to OPSS, to ensure that they can take the correct action. If a consumer wishes to report a serious undesirable effect, OPSS recommend contacting Trading Standards who can support with the process.