TALC POWDERS

Press, Volume LXXXII, Issue 24985, 20 September 1946, Page 9

TALC POWDERS

NEW REGULATIONS TO BE GAZETTED

CONTROL OF. MANUFACTURE AND LABELLING

(P.A.) WELLINGTON, September 18. “Regulations to be gazetted this week amending the Food and Drug Regulations, 1946, provide for the continuation in force of earlier amendments made necessary by the wartime shortage of certain foods. There has also been enacted a new regulation controlling the manufacture and labelling of dusting powders which contain talc or other natural mineral ingredients,” said the Minister of Health (the Hon. A. H. Nordmeyer). “In future all talc used in making baby powders will require to be sterilised during manufacture, and all dusting powders made from unsterilised talc must be labelled: ‘This powder has not been sterilised and should not be used on the skin of a baby.' Furthermore, all dusting powders, whetMb sterilised or not. must bear a label that they should not be used on a broken skin surface or 9s surgical dressing. “These provisions give legal form to the suggestions previously made by the department and agreed to by the manufacturers of cosmetics,” said the Minister. “The Department of Health duriftg recent months has taken some 200 samples of talcum powders or of crude talc in various parts of the Dominion. As a result of this sampling tetanus infection has been found only in certain consignments of Indian talc and in three brands of dusting powders manufactured from Indian talc. “In all cases where powders were found to be infected the department has instructed that they should be withdrawn from sale.

“The department still advises that no talcum powder should be used on a .young baby unless it is known to have 1 been made from sterilised talc, and no talcum powder, whether or not made from sterilised talc, should be used on a broken skin surface. These powders are intended only for use on healthy skin and should not be used in any other way unless specially prepared for stirgical use.”

FOOD AND DRUG REGULATIONS (P.A.) WELLINGTON. Sept. 19. As indicated yesterday by the Minister of Health (the Hon. A. H. Nordrtieyer), food and drug (temporary) regulations providing for the sterilisation of dusting powers were gazetted to-night. The regulations also provide for continued temporary relaxation of Government controls on certain foods such as ice-creams, which were found necessary during the war. Provision is made for the use of a limited amount of saccharine to be used with fruit syrups, etc., etc., in place of sugar. Another clause in the regulations defines compound mustard as a preparation containing 85 per cent, of mustard mixed with flour, and with or without the addition of turmeric.