The purpose of this call for evidence is to gather information on natural minerals and products containing unintentional asbestos, as well as on exposure and identified risks related to substances covered by the scope.
In the information note for this consultation, it is specified that cosmetic products do not fall directly within this scope, but that the placing on the market of raw materials (such as talc), including their use in the production of cosmetic products, does.

The RIVM approach

RIVM (Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment) has carried out a Risk Management Options Analysis (RMOA) to assess the risk to health from the unintentional use of articles, materials and mixtures containing asbestos.
In the Netherlands, the RIVM has observed cases of human exposure by inhalation to unintentionally present asbestos, notably in children’s make-up products (asbestos naturally present in talc).

According to the RIVM’s analysis, asbestos can be present in products unintentionally and can enter the market in particular through natural minerals geologically related to asbestos (talc, serpentine, vermiculite, olivine, soapstone, feldspar, precious stones), used alone or as components of a manufactured product, or through cross-contamination with asbestos during the manufacture, transport or processing of a product. …