Johnson & Johnson will stop selling talcum-based baby powder in the US and Canada after being ordered to pay out billions of dollars in lost legal battles over claims the product causes cancer. According to a report on the NPR site, the company made the announcement this week, denying allegations that the powder is responsible for health problems.
“Demand for talc-based Johnson's Baby Powder in North America has been declining due in large part to changes in consumer habits and fuelled by misinformation around the safety of the product and a constant barrage of litigation advertising,” J&J said.
Separate investigations by Reuters and The New York Times in December 2018 revealed documents showing J&J fretted for decades that small amounts of asbestos lurked in its baby powder. In 2018, a St Louis jury ordered J&J to pay $4.7bn to 22 women and their families who say asbestos in the powder contributed to their ovarian cancer.
Last year, a woman in California who says Johnson & Johnson baby powder caused her to develop mesothelioma was awarded $29m. The company is appealing the decisions. J&J faces more than 16,000 talc-related lawsuits nationwide, Reuters reported.
Stores around the country and in Canada will continue to sell whatever remaining inventory of baby powder remains on their shelves, the company said. Additionally, cornstarch-based Johnson's Baby Powder will remain available in North America.
[link url="https://www.npr.org/2020/05/19/859182015/johnson-johnson-stops-selling-talc-based-baby-powder-in-u-s-and-canada"]Full NPR report[/link]
[link url="https://www.jnj.com/our-company/johnson-johnson-consumer-health-announces-discontinuation-of-talc-based-johnsons-baby-powder-in-u-s-and-canada"]J&J statement[/link]