The record
Across the four published FDA survey years, 9 of 202 talc-cosmetic samples tested positive for asbestos, and all nine positives were in the FY2019 assignment; the 150 samples tested in 2021, 2022 and 2023 were all negative.
Claim scope
The arithmetic of the published federal testing record: 52+50+50+50 = 202 samples, 9 positives, all in FY2019. This is the defensible quantitative answer to 'does talc still test positive today.'
What this source does not establish
This is an aggregation performed by AsbestosAtlas across four FDA documents, not a figure FDA itself publishes. It is NOT a prevalence estimate: the samples are non-random, deliberately enriched toward suspect products, and drawn from different product universes each year. It does NOT establish that the drop to zero reflects cleaner talc rather than a changed sampling frame, changed supply chains, or the removal of talc from major product lines.
Limitations
Derived total; label it as such on the page. The FY2019 denominator is the 52 sample IDs in the published table (FDA's narrative separately describes the survey as 'about 50 cosmetic products'). Each year's 50 is FDA's own stated count.
Source
Gov Report — Aggregation of four FDA constituent updates: March 9, 2020 (FY2019, 52 samples / 9 positive); October 25, 2021 (2021, 50 / 0); December 7, 2022 (2022, 50 / 0); April 5, 2024 (2023, 50 / 0)