Johnson and Johnson Discontinue the Sale of Talc-Based Baby Powder in U.S. and Canada

Johnson and Johnson announced on Tuesday that they would no longer be selling its talc-based baby powder in the United States and Canada. In an official statement, the company cited decreasing sales due to misinformation as the reason for the discontinuation.

Demand for talc-based Johnson’s Baby Powder in North America has been declining due in large part to changes in consumer habits and fueled by misinformation around the safety of the product and a constant barrage of litigation advertising.”

Johnson and Johnson

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The company’s talc-based baby powder has been the subject of more than 19,000 lawsuits and intense scrutiny after investigative reports, trial testimonies, internal company records, and other evidence found that Johnson and Johnson knew the product contained asbestos. The evidence found tests proving small amounts of asbestos were in the company’s baby powder from 1971 to as recently as the early 2000s. There is also a federal criminal investigation into Johnson and Johnson’s lack of transparency in regard to the asbestos issue.

Johnson and Johnson’s decision to drop talc-based baby powder from its North American profile has also been influenced by COVID-19 concerns. The company is choosing to focus on more high-demand in an effort to make social distancing easier, although they are still planning to sell the talc-based baby powder in other markets internationally.



Johnson And Johnson Knew Asbestos Was In Baby Powder, More Lawsuits Are Coming

Johnson & Johnson paid a steep price this year for claims that its celebrated baby powder was contaminated with asbestos. And its 2019 could be even worse.

In July a jury ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay $4.69 billion to 22 women who claim the talc-based baby powder caused their ovarian cancer. The prospect of more judgments to come has helped to remove $45 billion of the company’s market value. Next year the company is slated to face more lawsuits for its baby powder.

Talc is a clay mineral that is the primary ingredient in baby powder and it keeps the skin dry and is also an astringent. It can help prevent diaper rash. In its natural form, some talc contains asbestos, which is linked to mesothelioma and ovarian cancer.

Juries in California, New Jersey, and Missouri have awarded more than $5 billion in awards to plaintiffs since 2016, but some of the verdicts have been removed judges. Johnson & Johnson continues to deny any wrongdoing or culpability.

Johnson & Johnson is committed to defending these cases based on the strong scientific evidence showing that talc does not cause cancer.

“Of the last five trials in 2018, two were decided in our favor, and there have been [three hung-jury] mistrials, reflecting the juries’ appreciation of our argument. “Every case that has gone through the appellate process has also been reversed, and we feel confident that the five cases currently on appeal will be reversed as well.” – Ernie W. Knewitz, a company spokesman, emailed statement

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But recent news reports on internal documents show company officials knew there was asbestos in the baby powder since the 1970s. Now thousands of plaintiffs are saying the company hid cancer risk to protect the brand.

A Reuters examination of many of those documents, as well as deposition and trial testimony, shows that from at least 1971 to the early 2000s, the company’s raw talc and finished powders sometimes tested positive for small amounts of asbestos, and that company executives, mine managers, scientists, doctors and lawyers fretted over the problem and how to address it while failing to disclose it to regulators or the public.” – Reuters

Johnson & Johnson produces many pharmaceutical products including vaccines under the name Janssen.



Johnson & Johnson Ordered to Pay $417 Million In Lawsuit Linking Baby Powder to Cancer

A jury in Los Angeles ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay a record breaking $417 million to Eva Echeverria, a hospitalized woman in California. Eva claimed in her lawsuit that the talc ingredient in the company’s well-known baby powder may cause ovarian cancer when applied regularly to the crotch.

The plaintiff alleged Johnson & Johnson does not adequately warn consumers about talcum powder’s potential cancer risks. She says she used the baby powder daily basis from around the 1950s until 2016. Court papers show she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2007.

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Mrs. Echeverria is dying from this ovarian cancer and she said to me all she wanted to do was to help the other women throughout the whole country who have ovarian cancer for using Johnson & Johnson for 20 and 30 years,” – Robinson said.

This is not the lawsuit of this kind, or Johnson & Johnson’s first loss, either. In St. Louis, $70 million was awarded to a woman with ovarian cancer due to baby powder usage,

We are pleased the jury did the right thing. They once again reaffirmed the need for Johnson & Johnson to warn the public of the ovarian cancer risk associated with its product,” Attorney Jim Onder

Apparently, Johnson & Johnson is still not adequately warning its customers.

On a side note, did you know Johnson and Johnson produce vaccines?

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Can talcum powders cause cancer? Many believe so. According to Cancer.org,

It has been suggested that talcum powder might cause cancer in the ovaries if the powder particles (applied to the genital area or on sanitary napkins, diaphragms, or condoms) were to travel through the vagina, uterus, and fallopian tubes to the ovary. Many studies in women have looked at the possible link between talcum powder and cancer of the ovary. Findings have been mixed, with some studies reporting a slightly increased risk and some reporting no increase.”

There’s a better option.

Homemade Baby Powder Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup arrowroot powder
  • ¼ cup bentonite clay powder or White Kaolin Clay
  • 1 tsp chamomile, lavender, or calendula flowers, in powdered form (use a blender)

Instructions

Mix it together, use as needed. If you want, you can add a couple of drops of an essential oil instead of the flower. Be careful with using essential oils and infants. It’s not something that should be taken lightly. Chamomile, lavender, and calendula in controlled amounts are of the few I that are generally considered safe for small children and infants.

If diaper rashes are a problem, the baby’s eco system is unbalanced, and which usually equates to less beneficial bacteria and more Candida in the gut.

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