33 Mineralogy/Crystallography, Petrology, and Geochemistry

Added due to amount of discipline submissions.

Tuesday, 10 March 2026
4:00 PM - 5:30 PM
RCC, 104

Asbestos, trace minerals, and geochemistry of selected samples of talc materials: Progress in understanding contamination, potential for geochemical fingerprinting, and forensic implications

Paper number: 33-4
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 5:00 PM – 5:15 PM

Authors

Abstract

Asbestos is a well-recognized carcinogen in the area of geohealth and asbestos exposure persists globally. Asbestos has been recognized as a common contaminant in talc products for decades. Some representative key points in the history of asbestos in talc are presented as are some representative asbestos testing from multiple source areas. Although asbestos is a key issue in talc materials and diseases associated with talc, IARC (with a working group of 29 international experts) classified talc itself as probably carcinogenic to humans (a Group 2A carcinogen) in 2024. A complex topic in talc toxicity, in addition to asbestos, is the occurrence of numerous other minerals that have the potential to be included in talc materials through geogenic processes. These minerals receive little attention in the literature in the US as much of the focus has been on asbestos contamination. Examples of talc product and ore materials from multiple locations have contaminants other than asbestos. SEM of selected talc and ore materials show a diversity of mineral contaminants or potential mineral contaminants including zircon, Fe-oxides, pyrite, galena, mercury minerals, and uranium minerals. When incorporated into some cosmetic uses and personal care applications, some of these observed minerals may pose direct health issues in close contact with infants and children, as well as human lung or human reproductive tissues. Results provide some context for initial evaluations of high resolution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (HR-ICP-MS) data on some talc products. Collectively, data provide important contexts for (1) potential health assessment by medical professionals, (2) understanding possible approaches for geochemical fingerprinting, and (3) forensic investigation of cosmetics in the context of violence against women and human trafficking. The occurrence of asbestos and other mineral contaminants is a major point of concern regarding talc products and materials.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 58, No. 1

doi: 10.1130/abs/2026SE-411628

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