Welp, in a not so shocking move, Johnson & Johnson has announced that the company will be globally ending the sale of its talc-based baby powered following mounting lawsuits.
Johnson & Johnson made the announcement on Thursday saying, “As part of a worldwide portfolio assessment, we have made the commercial decision to transition to an all cornstarch-based baby powder portfolio,” the company said to Fox Business.
As we previously reported, the company was hit with about 38,000 lawsuits from consumers and their survivors claiming its talc products caused cancer due to contamination with asbestos, a known carcinogen. In 2020, & Johnson announced that it would stop selling its talc Baby Powder in the United States and Canada, saying demand, placing the blame of “misleading” information regarding the product’s safety. However, it looks like the time to stop selling the product globally will soon come as they plan to make that move in 2023.
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Was There Any Truth Behind Those Cancer Claims?
Now, back in A 2018, Reuters investigation found that J&J knew for decades that asbestos, a carcinogen, was present in its talc products. Per the outlet, internal company records, trial testimony as well as other evidence showed that from at least 1971 to the early 2000s, J&J’s raw talc and finished powders sometimes tested positive for small amounts of asbestos. Back in April, shareholder proposal called for an end to global sales of the talc baby powder failed.
Despite that, J&J has denied the allegations. The company saying decades of scientific testing and regulatory approvals have shown its talc to be safe and asbestos-free.
“We continuously evaluate and optimize our portfolio to best position the business for long-term growth,” the company said in a statement. “This transition will help simplify our product offerings, deliver sustainable innovation, and meet the needs of our consumers, customers and evolving global trends,” CNN quotes.
“Our position on the safety of our cosmetic talc remains unchanged. We stand firmly behind the decades of independent scientific analysis by medical experts around the world that confirms talc-based Johnson’s Baby Powder is safe, does not contain asbestos, and does not cause cancer,” it said in Friday’s announcement.
According to the news site, Ben Whiting, an attorney with the plaintiffs firm Keller Postman, said because the lawsuits are paused in bankruptcy, the company’s sales decision won’t immediately impact them.
RELATED: Johnson & Johnson Discontinues Talc-Based Baby Powder In U.S. & Canada