A recent Johnson and Johnson talc lawsuit filed in New Mexico claims that the company failed to warn consumers that their talc products contained asbestos.

The lawsuit was filed by New Mexico attorney general Hector Balderas who claims that Johnson and Johnson mislead their customers about the safety of their talc-based baby powder products. According to Balderas’ Johnson and Johnson talc powder lawsuit, the massive company “concealed and failed to warn consumers about the dangers associated with their talc products.”

Balderas argues that children and Hispanic or African American women were particularly affected by these misleading practices which were reportedly used to market Johnson’s Baby Powder, Johnson’s Medicated Power, and Shower to Shower Talcum Powder.

“Our office will take immediate action any time a corporation misleads a New Mexican consumer or endangers the health and safety of our families,” said Attorney General Balderas. “These products have been targeted at minority groups, especially Black and Hispanic women and children, with false messages about their safety, and I will hold these companies accountable.

Although this is one of the first Johnson and Johnson talc lawsuits to be filed by a state attorney general, thousands of consumers have already taken action against the company for allegedly selling carcinogenic products.

Johnson and Johnson Talc Lawsuit News

Johnson and Johnson talc lawsuit allegations claim that the company knowingly sold talcum powder products with asbestos contamination.

Asbestos is a mineral which can commonly be found in the same areas of the earth as talc. Unfortunately, asbestos-contaminated talc can be carcinogenic based on the highly dangerous nature of asbestos. The carcinogen is associated with dangerous, life threatening conditions such as lung cancer and mesothelioma.

Although talc mining companies and product manufacturers are supposed to test their products for asbestos, consumers in Johnson and Johnson talc lawsuits claim that they do not always follow through. Unfortunately, the government reportedly does not play a role in testing for asbestos in talc products. Instead, the burden purportedly falls on manufacturers to self-test.

In some cases, asbestos found in talc products can result in recalls of the products. In October, Johnson and Johnson was involved in a recall after the Food and Drug Administration found trace amounts of asbestos in a bottle of the company’s baby powder. The recall only affected one lot of the product but cast doubt on Johnson and Johnson claims that their company had never sold products containing asbestos.

“Thousands of tests over the past 40 years repeatedly confirm that our consumer talc products do not contain asbestos,” the company said in a statement.

“Not only do we and our suppliers routinely test to ensure our talc does not contain asbestos, our talc has also been tested and confirmed to be asbestos-free by a range of independent laboratories, universities and global health authorities.”

Over 15,000 plaintiffs have reportedly taken legal action against Johnson and Johnson. The company has apparently had mixed successes in defending themselves against these claims. In some cases, Johnson and Johnson has been able to dodge the allegations against them; however, numerous consumers have been able to secure significant verdicts in their favor – although the company has plans to appeal.