Jane’s Dust: A Tale of Talc, Deceit, and Death
This book is a fictional story that is based on over 300 cases of patients that have developed mesotheliomas and ovarian cancer from the use of Cosmetic Talcum Powder. The author is a Professor in the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and a Pathologist at the Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City that has been testing human tissues for asbestos for approximately 40 years. The book was written in conjunction with a writer and author, Joel Brokaw, with a history of top publications on the New York Times Best Seller List. The author, most recently, has taken on the testing of for asbestos in patients that have been exposed to only Cosmetic talcum powders as well as the testing of the powders themselves for the presence of asbestos. This fictional story is centered around what Dr. Gordon has seen in the many cases he has worked on and tested for the presence of asbestos and other talc contaminates from human tissues. This book further illustrates the deceit within the companies that mine the talc, manufacturer the products and the testing company that makes fraudulent claims about their testing of the mined and milled talc and the manufacture of the products. They also make false claims based on doing the review of others testing and avoid their own testing. This book is intended to get the message out to the public for both women and men that have and or still use Cosmetic Talcum powders. This includes the use of talcum powders on their children, their personal use on various parts of their bodies as well as the use of makeup that contains talc, all of which are used daily if not more often. These people with exposure histories should monitor themselves medically to identify the development of these diseases early so they can be treated and to avoid death as depicted in this story. At the end of the book, primary scientific references have been provided for the reader if interested in knowing what real proof there exits attributable to these detrimental products. JANE’S DUST is a horror story of a very different kind. The monster lurks hidden and disguised in a white dusty powder in our medicine chests in our homes-so ubiquitous, trusted, accepted and engrained as a part of our daily routine for well over a century. Talc has been sprinkled on baby’s bottoms for generations and used in deodorants and a host of personal hygiene products and cosmetic for decades. Hundreds of other manufactured products contain talc, including auto parts and home improvement materials. This monster has been kept alive by lies, deceit, greed, privilege and arrogance and a thirst for power. It is an unfolding human tragedy that is still among us, where medicine, corporate malfeasance and the legal process collide.