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A curious mother recently discovered asbestos in her child’s glitter makeup. She sent a sample of the makeup to a laboratory for testing and the results came back positive for tremolite asbestos.
The makeup is made by Claire’s, a specialty retailer that sells accessories and makeup to young girls. After the results came back, the mom purchased other Claire’s products in other states and sent them to be tested as well. These too came back positive. After a local radio station covered the story, Claire’s issued a recall of the products including lip gloss, glitter and makeup kits. The recalled products included:
Claire’s has agreed to issue full refunds to concerned customers.
This recall came shortly after a product by Justice called Just Shine Shimmer Powder was recalled after testing positive for talc contaminated with asbestos. Heavy metals including lead and chromium were also found. This product and the Claire’s products listed above were tested at the Scientific Analytical Institute in Greensboro, North Carolina.
These are not the only instances of recalls related to asbestos contamination. In 2015, Party City and Toys “R” Us both stopped selling crayons made in China when they were found to contain asbestos-contaminated talc.
Tremolite is a common contaminant in chrysotile asbestos. It can also be found in vermiculite and talc.
All types of asbestos are considered hazardous. The type and form determine the degree of hazard. The two types of asbestos are amphibole and serpentine. Tremolite is an amphibole type of asbestos due to its needle shaped fibers. Studies suggest the amphibole type is more likely to cause cancer at lower exposure levels than serpentine asbestos.
Asbestos can be in a friable or a non-friable form. Friable asbestos can be crumbled, pulverized, or reduced to powder by hand pressure. Powdered products are friable and pose a higher risk of illness from inhalation exposure. Breathing friable asbestos can lead to an increased risk of asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma.
Claire’s sent its own samples of the products in question to an independent certified laboratory to test for asbestos content. Claire’s has since issued a statement indicating that the products tested were made using talc sourced from a certified asbestos-free European Vendor—Merck KGaA—and did not contain asbestos. It is unclear whether the recall and/or refund policy will be altered because of the testing.
If you or someone you love has been impacted by mesothelioma, contact a Philadelphia mesothelioma lawyer at Brookman, Rosenberg, Brown & Sandler. To set up an initial consultation, complete our online form or call 215-569-4000 or 800-369-0899. For more than three decades we have served the people of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and New Jersey as well as Delaware County, Chester County, and Philadelphia County.