Johnson & Johnson Recalls Baby Powder After Traces of Asbestos Found

Johnson & Johnson have yet again found themselves in hot water after asbestos was found in some of its baby powder products, the offending product was purchased online.

Johnson & Johnson have recalled batch number 22318RB which included the powder containing the small amounts of asbestos and will do further tests to try and establish how the powder became contaminated with the highly toxic substance.

An FDA spokeswoman, Gloria Sanchez-Contreras, said that the contaminated bottle contained chrysotile fibers, a type of asbestos. The FDA recommended that people stop using that lot immediately and contact J&J for a refund.

This isn't the first time J&J's talc products have been in the spotlight, just last year 22 women, 6 of which died, received a total of $4.7 Billion in damages for their ovarian cancer which was believed to be caused by the companies talc products.

Their lawyers alleged the company knew its talc was contaminated with asbestos since the 1970s but failed to warn consumers about the risks.

There are still 15,500 lawsuits remaining regarding these products which have yet to be settled.

Then there is the companies recent criticism in the opoid academic that has swept the US. Johnson & Johnson were ordered to pay $572m for their part in fuelling Oklahoma’s opioid addiction crisis, a judge in the US state ruled.

Johnson & Johnson have continued to deny any wrong doing and so far have failed to accept any responsibility in their part of any of the above lawsuits. In regards to the above case regarding the 22 women with ovarian cancer they stated:

“We sympathize with anyone suffering from cancer, and we understand patients and their families are seeking answers. The facts are clear — Johnson’s Baby Powder is safe, does not contain asbestos nor does it cause cancer, as reflected in more than 40 years of scientific evidence,”

However, it would seem now their Baby Powder products do, or at least in this particular batch contain asbestos.