USE OF TALCUM

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 66, Issue 197, 3 June 1946, Page 3

USE OF TALCUM

AUSTRALIANS WARNED SYDNEY, June 2. The New South Wales DirectorGeneral of Health, Dr. E. S. Morris, advised Australian women to cease using talcum powder on their babies until further research had been made. The Commonwealth Acting-Director-General of Health, Dr. Metcalfe, said he could see' no reason for alarm in Australia. It seemed that the primary point of inquiry into the New Zealand deaths should be into the constituents ‘ imported from India rather than into chalk imported from Australia.

• SUPPLIES “FROZEN” INQUIRY BEING MADE (P.A.) WELLINGTON, This Day. Distributors; of a well-known Australian brand of talcum powder have “frozen” all supplies of it held by retailers, as the recent deaths of three infants in the Auckland district were attributed to infection by tetanus carried in talcum powder. The Health Department may. withdraw from retailers all supplies of all brands of powder for it to be sterilised against tetanus. - Asked if any particular brand of talcum powder had been withdrawn from the market, the Director-General of Health, Dr. M. H. Watt said no official instruction had been given for this to be done. He understood that one brand had been withdrawn. It would be unfair to mention its name, ai?i the step had been taken by the distributors voluntarily, and more than one brand was involved. Dr. F. S. Mac Lean, who is in charge of the investigation into the talcum position for the Health Department, asked whether, owing to the fact that most face powdei’s had talcum as a base, there was any risk of infection, replied that used on a healthy skin there would be no risk of infection. People with any raw patches on parts of the body to be powdered would be well advised to use zinc oxide and starch.