Analytic comparison of talc in commercially available baby powder and in pelvic tissues resected from ovarian carcinoma patients.

Objective: Measure the size and shape of talc particles in talcum powder and compare this data to the size and shape of talc particles found in surgically resected tissues from patients with ovarian carcinoma.

Methods: Using polarized light microscopy (PLM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), we measured the size and shape of talc particles in samples of talc-containing baby powder (TCBP) and surgically resected pelvic tissues (hysterectomies) from talc-exposed patients with ovarian carcinoma.

Results: The most frequent class of particles in TCBP can be unequivocally identified as talc, using both polarized light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray analysis (SEM/EDX).