CONTROL OF TALC

Greymouth Evening Star, 18 September 1946, Page 6

CONTROL OF TALC

ELIMINATING TETANUS INFECTION LABELS AND WARNINGS (P.A.) WELLINGTON, Sept. 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 war-time 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 (Mr. Nordmeyer) today. In future all tqlc 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, whether sterilised or not, must bear a warning label that they should not be used on a broken skin surface or as a surgical dressing. These provisions give legal form to suggestions previously made by the Department of Health and agreed to by the manufacturers of cosmetics. The Department of Health, during recent months, has taken some 200 samples of talcum powders or of j 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 In all cases where powders were found to be infected the department has instructed that they should be withdrawn from sale.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 be 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 surgical use. :