The US-based healthcare product manufacturer Johnson & Johnson has issued a voluntary recall of several products, including the well-known Baby Powder, after concerns that they might be contaminated with asbestos. Talcum Powder Lawsuit
The recall comes following an investigation by newspapers in the USA, which said trace amounts of asbestos had been found in samples of talcum powder.
According to Reuters , six out of 15 testing samples showed the potentially deadly substance. The talc used since its initial production is sourced from suppliers located in southern Europe and India.
All suppliers are certified according to the International Organization for Standardization standards 9001 for quality management systems and OHSAS 18001 for occupational health and safety systems compliance .
The company assured customers that "the rigorous testing program ensures that all products meet all applicable standards for asbestos and the company has poor levels of asbestos in its talc."
However, "in an abundance of caution, we are taking precautionary measures to further reduce exposure," including "voluntary recalls".
This is not the first time Johnson & Johnson has been investigated. In 2013 it signed a legal agreement with the authorities in the USA after complaints that one of its main baby shampoos contained cancer-causing ingredients.
As Reuters notes , however, there was no evidence that talcum powder causes cancer or that asbestos could be present in their product.
The lack of scientific consensus linking talc to any serious medical conditions resulted in several lawsuits demanding compensation from the company being thrown out by judges.
In 2014, a woman from California was ordered to pay Johnson & Johnson $417 million in compensation after a jury ruled that the company's baby powder had contributed to her ovarian cancer. She died shortly after the verdict and her children have been left to carry out the order.
The same year, another lawsuit filed by an elderly Californian woman suffering from mesothelioma – an asbestos-related condition – accused Johnson & Johnson of "negligent conduct" and hiding evidence about its product's dangers.
However, again the court ruled against the plaintiff: it said that there was no association between talc and mesothelioma before 1999, when she was diagnosed. The accusation that members of her family had died as a result of asbestos exposure was also dismissed.
The company has also faced accusations that its baby powder is responsible for an increase in cases of ovarian cancer around the world, including Black women in America and British women.
For example, three years ago a woman who believes she contracted the disease by washing her clothes with Johnson's Baby Powder launched a legal case against the company demanding compensation. Even if talc does cause cancer it would be impossible to prove definitively that there is a link between any specific brand or type of talcum powder and cancerous cells.
Recalling these powders is only an additional "precautionary measure" until scientific research can confirm or deny whether they are safe for use on babies and adults alike.
