x

WHO agency labels talc as 'potentially' cancer-causing

Shortpedia

Content Team
Image Credit: newsbytes

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), a branch of the World Health Organization, has classified talc, a naturally occurring mineral, as "probably carcinogenic" to humans. This decision is based on "limited evidence" that talc could cause ovarian cancer in humans and "sufficient evidence" of its link to cancer in rats. The IARC also cited "strong mechanistic evidence" that talc shows carcinogenic signs in human cells.