FURTHER WARNING ABOUT TALCUM POWDERS

Chronicle (Levin), 19 September 1946, Page 5

FURTHER WARNING ABOUT TALCUM POWDERS

-Press Association

Bv Telearavh—

WELLINGTON, Sept. 18. Regulations are to be gazetted t his week amending the Food and Drup Regulations 1940 to provide for a con tinuation in f'oree of earlier amend rnerits made necessary by the wartime shortage of certain drugs. There lia.also been enacted a nevv regulation con trolling the nianufaeture and labelJinj. of dusting powders which contain tah or other natural mineral ingredients said the Minister. of Health, Hqn, A. 11. .Xordif}jejyq"n'.tf>day> - .Ifi futut^- ail'.'.ta.k-' iised^iL'iift^ki-i^- .ba.by. pd^defe will' ra quirel to¥ M s|erilised tlurfngv manufac ture and. all. dqsting powders. made from unsterilised tale must. l>e labelled "this powder has not been sterilised and should not be used on the slcin of a baby. " Furthermore all dusting powders, whether sterilised or not, must 'bear a warning label that they should not be used 011 a broken skin surface or as surgical dressing. These provi sions give legal form to suggestions pre viously made by the Department aiui agreed to by manufacturers of cosmetics. The Department. of Health, during recent months, has taken some 2()(! samples of talcum powders or of eruue talc in various parts of the Dominion. As the result of this sainpling tetanus infection had been found only in certain consignments of Indian talc and in three brauds of dusting powders manu factured from Indian talc. In all cases where the powders were found to be in fected the Department has instructen that they should be withdrawn from sale.