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CLAYTIMES · COM n 20TH ANNIVERSARY • AUTUMN / WINTER 2015
Studio I Health & Safety
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register today to join Tom & Elaine Coleman guest presenters at
Gulf Coast Clay Conference
February 3-6 , 2016
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Pensacola State College Pensacola , Florida — $ 95
Visit www . kilnwalk . org or call 850.939.2744 for details
ATTENTION Clay Times Print Subscribers : For full free access to the digital version of Clay Times , please update your e-mail address now at www . claytimes . com / e-mail
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Talc ( continued from previous page )
ceramic talcs on the market now .
2 . The study identified three different contaminated mines used to make the talcum powder .
“... The talc used by this cosmetic company that manufactured and distributed the talcum powder was from three distinct regions : the Willow Creek mine in Southwest Montana , the Regal mine near Murphy , North Carolina , and imported talc from the Val Chisone region of the Italian Piedmont ... These three mines all contained asbestos fibers ; anthophyllite , and tremolite .” - pp . 318-319
Which other talc mines might also be contaminated with asbestos ? I really don ’ t know . I do know that RT Vanderbilt representatives said their talc was asbestos-free for over 50 years , and still say so . Yet , since 1980 , the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health ( NIOSH ) has consistently said that RT Vanderbilt talc does contain asbestos . The cosmetic talc suppliers also say their talc is asbestos-free , and there are mineralogists who will testify in court both for and against the premise that there is asbestos in various talcs .
In fact , the two juries in the Vanderbilt trials were not asked to answer the technical question about whether the long , thin mineral structures in the talc met the mineralogist ’ s definition of asbestos . They were only asked to look at all the evidence from the studies of Vanderbilt miners and millers , the animal tests , and other data to decide whether or not the talc causes asbestos-diseases like mesothelioma . In both cases , they agreed that it did beyond a reasonable doubt .
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What Should We Do Now ?
I suggest when the issue is this serious and there are opinions on both sides , that we err on the side of caution — especially if we teach young people or children who can ’ t be expected to make an informed decision about whether or not to take this risk . Fortunately , all of the major ceramic suppliers offer talc-free clays . There are many talcfree clay body and glaze recipes to choose from , too .
Footnotes :
* Gordon works in the Department of Pathology , Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai , New York . Fitzgerald is with SAI Laboratory , Greensboro , NC , USA and Millette is with MVA Inc ., Duluth , GA . Their study was paid for in part by lawyers for asbestos plaintiffs but no funds were provided for writing the manuscript . The laboratories doing the analyses are available for hire by both defense and plaintiff clients .
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