Johnson & Johnson issued a recall of one lot of Baby Powder after the Food and Drug Administration discovered traces of cancer-causing asbestos.
The company issued the recall out of ‘an abundance of caution’ as the amount of asbestos discovered was ‘sub-trace.’
Tens of thousands of people have sued the company, claiming that long-term exposure to asbestos, known to cause mesothelioma, gave them cancer.
J&J said last month that the products do not contain the deadly substance but the company’s stock prices fell by 2.6 percent.
Asbestos naturally forms together with talc, the mineral base for J&J’s Baby Powder. However, this does not always happen so talc mines should always be tested for asbestos, and should be avoided if found positive.
For years, the company claimed that its product was free from harmful substance. However, an investigation published by Reuters last year claimed that was not always the case.
The report revealed that from 1971 through the early 2000s, Baby Powder tested positive for traces of asbestos periodically, and J&J didn’t disclose the results.
An increasing number of Americans were developing a rare cancer of the tissue that lines organs such as lungs and chest cavity.
Since the discovery of asbestos in Baby Powder, over 13,000 lawsuits have been filed against the company, claiming the products had result in deaths and cancers.
The contamination recently found consisted of 0.00002 percent asbestos. It is less than a trace but evidence keeps on finding its way into the products.
J&J said in a statement that the company “has a rigorous testing standard in place to ensure its cosmetic talc is safe and years of testing, including the FDA’s own testing on prior occasions – and as recently as last month – found no asbestos.”
The lot in question was purchased from an online retailer and J&J says that the case is being investigated whether the test could be a false positive or the product might’ve been a counterfeit or could’ve been contaminated.
What’s your take on this? Let us know in the comments section and SHARE this with your friends and family!
Replaced!