Asbestos in baby powder?
Johnson and Johnson is coming under fire for allegations of asbestos contamination in their baby powder.
As crazy as it sounds, the talc used in baby powder can easily be littered with asbestos. Talc and asbestos rest closely together within the Earth’s crust, and when mined to use in products, talc often carries the asbestos with it. It is up to the private companies to purify the talc and ensure that no asbestos make it into their product. This is especially crucial for products such as baby powder, which comes into contact often with mothers and their babies.
Over the years 11,700 lawsuits have been made against Johnson and Johnson, claiming that the asbestos in their products caused detrimental health effects to the users. Johnson and Johnson has spent millions of dollars settling these types of court cases.
As you can see, Johnson and Johnson has a history of being accused of having contaminated product. These accusations are not unsubstantiated. Reuters led an investigation into the company’s internal documents and found that they were aware of asbestos contaminating their products. Several tests were done from 1972-1975 that showed that the talc used in Johnson and Johnson baby powder was in fact polluted with asbestos. Multiple other tests have been conducted up until the early 2000s that show asbestos can be found in the baby powder. Johnson and Johnson only test a small amount of the talc used in their products, yet even that small amount showed trace asbestos. They kept this information hidden from the public and denied any of the accusations made.
Due to new reports, however, Indian drug regulators will be thoroughly testing Johnson and Johnson baby powders in the upcoming weeks. Tests done in 2016 by the drug regulators came up negative for asbestos, but after recent claims, the state drug controllers of northern India must act.
Johnson and Johnson is coming under fire for allegations of asbestos contamination in their baby powder.
As crazy as it sounds, the talc used in baby powder can easily be littered with asbestos. Talc and asbestos rest closely together within the Earth’s crust, and when mined to use in products, talc often carries the asbestos with it. It is up to the private companies to purify the talc and ensure that no asbestos make it into their product. This is especially crucial for products such as baby powder, which comes into contact often with mothers and their babies.
Over the years 11,700 lawsuits have been made against Johnson and Johnson, claiming that the asbestos in their products caused detrimental health effects to the users. Johnson and Johnson has spent millions of dollars settling these types of court cases.
As you can see, Johnson and Johnson has a history of being accused of having contaminated product. These accusations are not unsubstantiated. Reuters led an investigation into the company’s internal documents and found that they were aware of asbestos contaminating their products. Several tests were done from 1972-1975 that showed that the talc used in Johnson and Johnson baby powder was in fact polluted with asbestos. Multiple other tests have been conducted up until the early 2000s that show asbestos can be found in the baby powder. Johnson and Johnson only test a small amount of the talc used in their products, yet even that small amount showed trace asbestos. They kept this information hidden from the public and denied any of the accusations made.
Due to new reports, however, Indian drug regulators will be thoroughly testing Johnson and Johnson baby powders in the upcoming weeks. Tests done in 2016 by the drug regulators came up negative for asbestos, but after recent claims, the state drug controllers of northern India must act.
