Asbestos Reportedly Found in Popular Tween Chain Makeup Product

Popular tween retail chain Justice stopped sales of one of their makeup products after an independent laboratory reported asbestos tainted the talc used in the powder late last week.

Justice’s Just Shine Shimmer Powder tested positive for tremolite asbestos fibers, which can cause mesothelioma, according to WTVD. Mesothelioma takes a long time to develop, often appearing decades after the initial asbestos exposure.

Asbestos Found in Makeup Sold by Popular Tween Clothing Store Justice https://t.co/eacBiHXecH

— Good Housekeeping (@goodhousemag) July 14, 2017

“In this powder designed for children, they could die an untimely death in their 30s or 40s because of the exposure to asbestos in this product,” Sean Fitzgerald, Director of Research and Analytical Services for the Scientific Analytical Institute in Greensboro, told WTVD. SAI offers asbestos, lead, and other analysis services.

Many details, like Justice’s makeup testing procedures, or if asbestos taints the company’s source of talc, are still unknown. But we do know that asbestos causes mesothelioma, an incurable cancer in the tissue lining your lungs and several other of your organs.

How Can I Stay Safe From Asbestos?

Asbestos is still used in the United States, but it’s illegal to use in many products that you could come in contact with.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration doesn’t directly prohibit many ingredients in cosmetics, but because talc — a mineral commonly used in cosmetics — occurs naturally near asbestos, the organization keeps a close eye out for potential contamination. The FDA tested many makeup products containing talc for asbestos contamination{: target=“_blank”} in 2009 and 2010 and found no systematic use of asbestos in makeup.

Despite these assurances, asbestos contaminating talc{: target=“_blank”} is an ongoing problem even though all talc products used in the home were made asbestos-free in the 1970s, according to the American Cancer Society. But talc products may not be safe anymore, either. Talc's lung and ovarian cancer-causing potential makes the idea that dangerous additives lurk in your makeup all too real.

Companies have a legal responsibility to ensure their products are both safe and appropriately labeled, and failing to filter out or alert consumers of asbestos-tainted talc may open a company up to liability.

If they don’t, they may be on the hook for lost wages, medical bills, and other costs associated with your diagnosis. Our mesothelioma attorneys may be able to help you hold a product manufacturer or product distributor accountable for their role in your exposure to asbestos.

Right now there’s no official recall on Just Shine Shimmer Powder, but Justice has stopped selling the product online and in their stores. An official recall may follow.

(Editor’s Note: This is a news story from the ‘Morgan Monitor,’ a news wire offering legal perspectives on news in your community.)