A Johnson & Johnson baby powder recall due to asbestos contamination affects about 33,000 bottles in the U.S. that were shipped in 2018.

CNN reported that Johnson & Johnson said the voluntary recall is due to tests performed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that determined chrysotile asbestos was in a bottle of baby powder allegedly bought online.

Asbestos is a known carcinogen, which has been suspected of contaminating talc powder products for years. Talc is a naturally occurring mineral that is made of magnesium silicon and oxygen. In its natural state, talc sometimes contains asbestos.

The current recall includes Johnson’s Baby Powder lot #22318RB. Consumers are advised to stop using the baby powder and may contact Johnson & Johnson to obtain a refund for their purchase.

In regards to the recalled lot, Johnson & Johnson posted a statement on its website that says the FDA’s test found “sub-trace levels of chrysotile asbestos contamination (no greater than 0.00002%) in samples from a single bottle purchased from an online retailer.”

The World Health Organization and other regulatory bodies say there is no safe level of asbestos exposure.

The company also stated it can’t confirm if the bottle was cross-contaminated, whether the bottle’s seal was intact prior to testing, or whether the product that led to the Johnson & Johnson baby powder recall is genuine Johnson’s Baby Powder or a fake.

The FDA sent an email to CNN that said the agency is confident in its tests and results and that there was no evidence of counterfeit Johnson’s Baby Powder entering the U.S. marketplace.

The FDA said it has been testing talc-containing cosmetic products since 2018 to see if asbestos is present. Thus far, the agency has completed testing of 50 different products. It noted that a sample of Johnson’s Baby Powder from a different lot, #00918RA, tested negative for asbestos.

Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder Recall Spells Trouble for Company

Johnson & Johnson has been sued by thousands of people who allege they developed ovarian cancer or mesothelioma by using the company’s talc-based products. For years and throughout several trials, the company has been accused of knowing its talcum powder products were tainted with asbestos. Plaintiffs have been awarded millions and sometimes billions of dollars. The company continues to deny the allegations, however.

In December 2018, Reuters released an investigative report after examining internal Johnson & Johnson documents brought forth at various trials. Reuters found that as far back as 1971, Johnson & Johnson mine management, executive management, scientific researchers, doctors, and lawyers debated about how to handle the talc powder’s occasional positive asbestos test results without setting off an alarm to regulators or consumers.

Reuters found that on Dec. 27, 1973, the Colorado School of Mines Research Institute told Johnson & Johnson the most reliable way to determine asbestos in talc was something called the concentration technique, which involved taking a concentrated sample of talc and examining it under a microscope. This test allegedly was deemed “too sensitive” by a Johnson & Johnson lab supervisor at the time.

Microscopic asbestos particles that are inhaled or swallowed can burrow deep into tissue where they fester for decades before giving rise to mesothelioma, according to the American Cancer Society. Asbestos fibers can irritate the lungs and cause an excess of scar tissue to fill the lungs, resulting in asbestosis or lung cancer.