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A28 SCIENCE
Thursday 9 January 2020
Big study finds no strong sign linking baby powder & cancer

By LINDSEY TANNER randomly assigning a large there's no asbestos.
U.S. government-led re- group of women to use talc On Monday, an unusual
search found no strong evi- powders over many years, mid-trial settlement was
dence linking baby pow- and comparing the results announced in an Oakland,
der with ovarian cancer in with those who didn't use California, case involving
the largest analysis to look powders. a woman who claimed
at the question. The researchers found hints asbestos in the powder
The findings were called of a potentially small in- caused her mesothelioma,
"overall reassuring" in an creased risk for cancer for a cancer that can affect
editorial published Tuesday women who had never the lungs and other organs.
with the study in the Journal had a hysterectomy or J&J spokeswoman Kimber-
of the American Medical fallopian tube-tying sur- ly Montagnino declined to
Association. The analysis in- gery. The American Can- disclose terms or reasons
volving 250,000 women isn't cer Society's Susan Gap- for the agreement but said
definitive but more conclu- stur said that fits with one it "in no way changes our
sive research probably isn't theory for how genital use overall position that our talc
feasible because a dwin- of talc might be risky: With is safe, is asbestos-free and
dling number of women a pathway not blocked by does not cause cancer."
use powder for personal surgery, powder particles J&J did recall a batch of
hygiene, the editorial said. could potentially travel into baby powder in October
"This represents the best the fallopian tubes and after U.S. government test-
data we have on the top- ovaries and cause irritation, ing found trace amounts
ic," said the study's lead In this April 19, 2010, file photo, baby powder is squeezed from inflammation and DNA of asbestos in a single bot-
author Katie O'Brien, a se- its bottle in Philadelphia. damage that could lead tle. The company paid for
nior scientist at the National Associated Press to cancer. more testing by outside
Institute of Environmental Those results were weak labs, which it said found no
Health Sciences. make sure its talc products their use of powder in the and are murky at best. Still, asbestos in the implicated
Health concerns about do not contain detectable genital area. About 40% O'Brien said they make the baby powder bottle and
talcum powders have amounts of asbestos. said they did. During 11 overall findings "very am- other samples.
prompted thousands of Smaller studies investigat- years of follow-up, 2,168 biguous." Last week, New Mexico
U.S. lawsuits by women who ing a possible link between women developed ovarian The U.S. lawsuits have tar- sued the company claim-
claim asbestos in the pow- talcum powder and can- cancer, with roughly similar geted leading baby pow- ing it has marketed as-
der caused their cancer. cer have had conflicting numbers in those who used der maker Johnson & John- bestos-containing baby
Talc is a mineral similar in results, though most found powders and those who son. Although several juries powder and other talc
structure to asbestos, which no connection. didn't. These kinds of obser- have reached multimillion- powders for decades, and
is known to cause cancer, The new analysis pooled re- vational studies cannot de- dollar verdicts against the has targeted black and
and they are sometimes sults from four long-running termine cause and effect, company, they have been Hispanic women and chil-
obtained from the same studies involving 250,000 and O'Brien said a more rig- overturned or are being ap- dren with "false messages"
mines. The cosmetics in- U.S. women, who were orous study isn't likely to be pealed. J&J says its powder about safety. J&J denies
dustry in 1976 agreed to asked periodically about done. That would require is routinely tested to ensure the claims.q
Electric scooter injuries surge

along with their popularity

By LINDSEY TANNER at the University of Califor- scooters through smart-
Electric scooter injuries nia, San Francisco, ana- phone apps and drop them
have surged along with lyzed U.S. government data off anywhere in the same
their popularity in the Unit- on nonfatal injuries treated city. Some cities have ad-
ed States, nearly tripling in emergency rooms. opted nighttime bans and
over four years, researchers "Improved rider safety other restrictions amid ris-
said in a study published measures and regulation" ing injuries and complaints
Wednesday. are clearly needed, the re- about scooters traveling or
Nearly 40,000 broken searchers said. parked on sidewalks.
bones, head injuries, cuts Media reports have linked "Scooters promote active
In this May 28, 2019, file photo, a man on a scooter passes a
parked scooter along the Mission Beach boardwalk in San Di- and bruises resulting from the stand-up electric scoot- commuting," could help
ego. scooter accidents were ers with more than a dozen spur wider public transit use
Associated Press treated in U.S. emer- U.S. deaths within the past and could lead to less traf-
gency rooms from 2014 few years. fic congestion, said lead
through 2018, the research The trend follows the emer- author Dr. Benjamin Breyer.
showed. The scooter injury gence of rental companies "We hope to raise aware-
rate among the general in cities around the world ness that riders should wear
U.S. population climbed that let customers rent helmets and ride safely."q
from 6 per 100,000 to 19 per
100,000. Most occurred in
riders aged 18 to 34, and
most injured riders weren't
hospitalized.
For the study published in
JAMA Surgery, researchers