More than two years after Johnson & Johnson stopped manufacturing and selling its talc Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder product in North America, the health and beauty giant decided to put an end to the talcum powder worldwide.
Media outlets, including from the New York Times, reported Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder is coming to a close soon. The company announced it will completely phase out all manufacturing of talc-based baby powder by 2023.
Johnson & Johnson has unveiled Vivvi & Bloom, a cornstarch-based baby powder brand that was announced last month. The cornstarch version of the company’s baby powder will be what is manufactured, advertised, and sold worldwide starting in 2023 – not just in North America. This decision will improve consumer safety in Asia, Africa, South America and other international markets.
Why Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder Is Not Safe
Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder is the source of tens of thousands of cancer lawsuits due to it not being safe to use. Most of these cases are ovarian cancer, lung cancer, or the rare cancer called mesothelioma. The scientific link between the product and cancer is the ingredient talc.
Talc is a natural mineral that absorbs moisture and keeps skin healthy. It also is found near asbestos, another mineral. Asbestos was used for decades – and even centuries – to strengthen offices, homes, entertainment venues and more buildings. Asbestos resists fire and is durable for building structure, so it was used in insulation, ceiling tiles and floor tiles, around electrical wiring, and more.
In the 1980s, the public learned asbestos could cause cancer if it was swallowed or inhaled. Small fragments of asbestos rocks could splinter off and float in the air undetected. Anyone who worked with asbestos on construction sites or who lived or worked in buildings made with asbestos were at risk of exposure.
Asbestos can also contaminate talcum powder, which is the result of grinding the mineral talc into a soft ingredient for Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder and other items. If asbestos fibers are in talcum powders, then they can easily expose users of these products.
Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder Recall Signals the End
In October of 2019, Johnson & Johnson recalled a lot of 33,000 bottles because the FDA found evidence of asbestos in one bottle being sold online. This news led Johnson & Johnson to stop manufacturing and selling the Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder brand in the United States and Canada in May of 2020.
Johnson & Johnson has claimed its talc products are safe and asbestos-free, but numerous tests have found evidence of asbestos in Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder and other talcum powders. The company said the decision to stop making talc Baby Powder was due to the increasing number of cancer lawsuits. There still are more than 30,000 pending cancer lawsuits against the company.
Sources & Author
Sources & Author
