FDA Announces Public Meeting on Testing Methods for Asbestos in Talc and Cosmetic Products Containing Talc

January 9, 2020

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today announced that it will hold a public meeting about testing methods for asbestos in talc and cosmetic products containing talc on February 4, 2020.

The purpose of the public meeting is to discuss and obtain scientific data and information on topics related to testing methodologies, terminology, and criteria that can be applied to characterize and measure asbestos and other potentially harmful elongate mineral particles (EMPs) that may be present as contaminants in talc and consumer products, including cosmetics, containing talc as an ingredient.

The February 4^th meeting will be held from 8:30 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. at the FDA White Oak Campus: 10903 New Hampshire Ave, The Great Room, Building 31, Silver Spring, MD. 20993.

The meeting will include discussions of key topics, such as:

• a federal interagency working group’s preliminary recommendations related to terminology and definitions of asbestos and other EMPs of health concern; and
• scientific data and information related to methodologies, terminology and criteria that can be used in the development of standardized testing methods to improve sensitivity, consistency, and inter-laboratory concurrence of asbestos testing.

Public meeting attendees are encouraged to register online to attend the meeting in person and via live webcast. For general questions about the meeting or to request special accommodations due to a disability, contact Denise Hodge, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Food and Drug Administration, 5001 Campus Dr. (HFS-125), College Park, Md. 20740, phone: 301-796-7739, email: TalcMeeting@fda.hhs.gov.

For more information about the meeting, as well as instructions on registration and requesting to make an oral presentation, see the Federal Register notice about the meeting and the additional links provided below.

Important Dates to Remember:

• January 17, 2020 – Request special accommodations due to disability deadline
• January 17, 2020 – Request to make oral presentation deadline
• January 28, 2020 – Early registration deadline
• February 4, 2020 – Day of Public Meeting
• March 4, 2020 – Deadline to submit electronic/written comments into the docket

Additional Information:

• Public Meeting Webpage
• Federal Register Notice for Public Meeting
• FDA Statement
• FDA’s Talc Webpage