Yet Another Thing That Will Kill You and Your Child (and an excuse to buy new makeup)

I just learned baby powder containing talc is not recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics because it presents a danger upon inhalation and can also contain asbestos contaminants. Yikes! While I had been using the cornstarch variety, even that is not great, since you or your baby could still be inhaling the stuff if you apply it willy-nilly. My pediatrician told me to use it sparingly by applying a small dab to my finger and then to the baby, if needed. (I have found the best way to prevent diaper rash is frequent diaper changes and letting baby "air out" from time to time.)

But being the saavy (read: paranoid) internet-loving mother that I am, I reasoned, "Talc must be in all SORTS of products! Let's find out!"

Yes, it's in almost everything you imagine it's in, most notably powdered makeup, so you may want to switch to brands that do not use talc (Aveda and Physicians Formula both have good, talc-free makeup.) However, in short, you could spend the next week obsessing over this topic and find out all the other names talc could be listed as, how many products you use or ever used contained talc, and whether you are now at increased risk of dying, or just conclude that talc is best avoided whenever possible, but if you happened to use it, don't stress. (Stress is probably more deadly than talc anyway.)

But if you like obsessing, here are some links I found interesting and useful:

• Talc is a level 3 (moderately hazardous) ingredient according to Skin Deep
• Abstract of "Baby Powder - A Hazard!" from the AAP website (full article requires a subscription)
• Also from Skin Deep - baby powders and their hazard level from best to worst so you can figure out what to buy if you still want to use it (big surprise is that a Burt's Bees products ranks very poorly!)
• Baby powder alternatives, especially useful for cloth diapering
• Eliminate the need for powder or creams altogether: reasons diaper rash could be happening
• What the deal is with the asbestos scariness aspect of talc