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Asbestos Find Causes Retailers to Pull Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder

Major retailers including Walmart, CVS and Rite Aid have pulled 22-ounce bottles of Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder after the FDA found traces of asbestos in a recently-tested bottle.

The presence of asbestos in Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder prompted Johnson & Johnson to initiate a voluntary recall on approximately 33,000 bottles of the talcum powder.

In recent years, Johnson & Johnson has fought lawsuits filed by people who allege that baby powder use led to their mesothelioma, a very rare cancer that is only caused by asbestos. Talcum powder and asbestos co-exist in the natural geologic formations, and plaintiff’s attorneys allege that asbestos has been present in talcum powder products such as Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder for decades, and that the company has privately fretted about it.

A couple weeks before the announcement that the FDA had found asbestos in Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder, CEO Alex Gorsky said in a taped deposition that the company “unequivocally” believes its talcum powder products do not contain asbestos. Plaintiffs’ attorneys allege that the company engaged in a concerted effort to cover up the presence of asbestos. So far, jury results have been mixed.

Talcum powder products have come under increased scrutiny. In October, a 33-patient case study was published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. It provided support to the contention that exposure to asbestos-tainted talcum powder can cause malignant mesothelioma, the rare and deadly asbestos cancer that affects tissues lining internal organs such as the lungs, intestines, testicles and heart.

The authors of the study profiled the cases of six individuals with mesothelioma, who underwent tissue testing that showed fibers consistent with the type of asbestos found in cosmetic talc, but not in other asbestos products like building supplies and insulation. Some of these people used products containing talcum powder daily for decades.

In addition to the legal battle over whether Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder causes mesothelioma, the company is also fighting lawsuits from women who allege that their use of talcum powder led to ovarian cancer.

RPWB represents talcum powder users nationwide who have developed mesothelioma or ovarian cancer from using Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder and Shower-to-Shower products. Give us a call or submit a message on this page to begin your free, no obligation case review.

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