Jakarta –
Facing thousands of lawsuits alleging that its talc causes cancer, Johnson and Johnson (J&J) insists on the safety and purity of its iconic product. But internal documents show that the company’s loose powder is sometimes tainted with carcinogenic asbestos and J&J is keeping that information from regulators and the public.
A 2018 investigation by Reuters news agency claimed that J&J knew for decades that asbestos was in its talc products. Reuters said internal company records, trial testimony and other evidence showed that from at least 1971 to the early 2000s, J&J’s raw and finished talc occasionally tested positive for small amounts of asbestos.
Other World Health Organization (WHO) authorities do not recognize safe levels of asbestos exposure. While most people who are exposed never develop cancer, for some people, even small amounts of asbestos are enough to trigger the disease years later.
For many years, it has been known that many naturally occurring talc sources are contaminated with asbestos, which causes mesothelioma. The two minerals often occur in the same geological formations.
However, J&J did not focus on the issue of asbestos contamination in baby powder, which is one of its flagship consumer products.
The company finally paid a sum of money for the victims of the loose baby powder. Many of them had a rare ovarian cancer linked to long-term use of J&J’s baby powder.
Next: How Does Asbestos Cause Ovarian Cancer?
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