Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Johnson & Johnson to stop selling talc-based powder after facing thousands of lawsuits over cancer claims

Johnson & Johnson to stop selling talc-based powder after facing thousands of lawsuits over cancer claims

The company maintains that its product is safe to use but said that 'misinformation' about it had damaged sales

Johnson & Johnson will remove talc-based baby powder from supermarket shelves after facing thousands of lawsuits from people who claim they developed cancer after using the product.

The baby powder was launched in 1894 and was once among the company’s most popular products.

The company has changed the packaging over the years but it has retained its distinctive white bottle and blue lettering.

However, it has fallen out of favour after some women claimed they developed cancer after using the product. J&J maintains the product is safe.

From 2023, the product will be made from cornstarch instead of talc - a clay mineral that is mined from the ground and used in many cosmetics - around the world. J&J announced the same move in the US and Canada in 2020.

The company maintains that its talc-based baby powder is safe to use but said that “misinformation” about the product had damaged sales. The company faces about 38,000 lawsuits, many from people who claim the powder contained asbestos and caused them to develop ovarian cancer.

It said in a statement: “Our position on the safety of our cosmetic talc remains unchanged. We stand firmly behind the decades of independent scientific analysis by medical experts around the world that confirms talc-based Johnson’s baby powder is safe, does not contain asbestos, and does not cause cancer.

“As part of a worldwide portfolio assessment, we have made the commercial decision to transition to an all cornstarch-based baby powder portfolio.”


‘An abundance of caution’

“We continuously evaluate and optimize our portfolio to best position the business for long-term growth. This transition will help simplify our product offerings, deliver sustainable innovation, and meet the needs of our consumers, customers and evolving global trends.”

However, an investigation by the news agency Reuters claims that the company knew for decades that traces of asbestos were occasionally present in some of its talc products. Both minerals are formed by the same geological processes so, when mined, talc can become contaminated.

Reuters reviewed internal company records, trial testimony and other evidence showing that from 1971 to the early 2000s, the raw talc and finished powders sometimes tested positive for small amounts of asbestos.

In 2020, the company announced that it would stop selling talc-based baby powder in the United States and Canada. A year earlier the company voluntarily recalled 33,000 bottles of talcum powder after US Food and Drug Administration regulators found trace amounts of asbestos in the product. J&J said it was acting “out of an abundance of caution”.

In October, J&J created a subsidiary, LTL Management, assigning its talc claims to it. It was later placed into bankruptcy, which paused the pending lawsuits.

A 2018 report by the advocacy group Global Witness suggested that Islamic State fighters in Afghanistan, as well as the Taliban, were profiting from illegal mining of talc that ultimately ended up in western markets.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Unelected PM of the UK holds an emergency meeting because a candidate got voted in… which he says is a threat to democracy…
Farmers break through police barriers in Brussels.
Ukraine Arrests Father-Son Duo In Lockbit Cybercrime Bust
US Offers $15 Million For Info On Leaders Of Cybercrime Group Lockbit
Apple warns against drying iPhones with rice
Alexei Navalny: UK sanctions Russian prison chiefs after activist's death
German economy is in 'troubled waters' - ministry
In a recent High Court hearing, the U.S. argued that Julian Assange endangered lives by releasing classified information.
Tucker Carlson says Boris Johnson wants "a million dollars, in Bitcoin or cash, from Tucker Carlson to talk about Ukraine.
Russia is rebuilding capacity to destabilize European countries, new UK report warns
EU Commission wants anti-drone defenses at Brussels HQ
Von der Leyen’s 2nd-term pitch: More military might, less climate talk
EU Investigates TikTok for Child Safety Concerns
EU Launches Probe Into TikTok Over Child Protection Under Digital Content Law
EU and UK Announce Joint Effort on Migration
Ministers Confirm Proposal to Prohibit Mobile Phone Usage in English Schools
Avdiivka - Symbol Of Ukrainian Resistance Now In Control Of Russian Troops
"Historic Step": Zelensky Signs Security Pact With Germany
"Historic Step": Zelensky Signs Security Pact With Germany
Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny has died at the Arctic prison colony
Tucker Carlson grocery shopping in Russia. This is so interesting.
France and Germany Struggle to Align on European Defense Strategy
‘A lot higher than we expected’: Russian arms production worries Europe’s war planners
Greece Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage and Adoption Rights
Russia "Very Close" To Creating Cancer Vaccines, Says Vladimir Putin
Hungarian Foreign Minister: Europeans will lose Europe, the Union's policy must change drastically
Microsoft says it caught hackers from China, Russia and Iran using its AI tools
US Rejects Putin's Ceasefire Offer in Ukraine
The Dangers of Wildfire Smoke and Self-Protection Strategies
A Londoner has been arrested for expressing his Christian beliefs.
Chinese Women Favor AI Boyfriends Over Humans
Greece must address role in migrant vessel disaster that killed 600: Amnesty
Google pledges 25 million euros to boost AI skills in Europe
Hungarian President Katalin Novák Steps Down Amid Pardon Controversy
Activist crashes Hillary Clinton's speech, calls her a 'war criminal.'
In El Salvador, the 'Trump of Latin America' stuns the world with a speech slamming woke policing after winning a landslide election
Trudeau reacts to Putin's mention of Canadian Parliament applauding a former Ukrainian Nazi in his interview with Tucker Carlson.
The Spanish police blocked the farmers protest. So the farmers went out and moved the police car out of the way.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy fires top Ukraine army commander
Tucker Carlson's interview with Vladimir Putin raises EU concerns
Finnish Airline, Finnair, is voluntarily weighing passengers to better estimate flight cargo weight
Russia's Economy Expands by 3.6% Due to Increased Military Spending
Ukraine MPs Vote To Permit Use Of Dead Soldiers' Sperm
German Princess Becomes First Aristocrat To Pose Naked On Playboy Cover
UK’s King Charles III diagnosed with cancer
EU's Ursula von der Leyen Confronts Farmer Protests Amid Land Policy Debates
Distinguishing Between Harmful AI Media and Positive AI-Generated Content: A Crucial Challenge for the EU
Tucker Carlson explains why he interviewed Putin
Dutch farmers are still protesting in the Netherlands against the government, following the World Economic Forum's call for 'owning nothing.'
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stands up for European farmers and says, 'Brussels is suffocating European farmers.
×