A medical journal article was recently published concerning historical exposures to talc dust in Vermont mining and milling operations. The article reconstructed miner and miller exposures to talc dust for several decades, detailing exposures for crushing talc ore, using heavy equipment to break up and transport talc ore, processing talc ore in mills, and bagging processed talc following milling. Recent epidemiologic studies have indicated the workers at the mines involved in this study were not at excess risk for malignancies such as mesothelioma, and this study provides interesting context when comparing the exposures to those alleged by users of cosmetic talc products. A summary of the article can be accessed here.

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