A report by Reuters alleges Johnson & Johnson found asbestos in talcum powder used in Johnson’s Baby Powder and Shower to Shower after-bath powder, but kept the findings secret.

Johnson & Johnson purportedly withheld test results from government regulating agencies and the public. Consumers claim the makers knew about asbestos in talcum powder but sold it anyway.

Talc is a powdery mineral made up of elements magnesium, silicon, and oxygen. The mineral is good at absorbing moisture, therefore helping to manage friction on the skin. These qualities mean that talc is often used in cosmetic products and other body products used to prevent chafing and rashes.

Asbestos is a known human carcinogen, linked to a variety of cancers, including mesothelioma, lung cancer, stomach cancer and more. Mesothelioma is a cancer affecting the lining of an organ, such as the lining of the lungs.

Asbestos and talc are both mined and usually found within close proximity of each other. Recently, consumers have become concerned that asbestos may be contaminating the talc used in common household products – including those manufactured by Johnson & Johnson.

According to the American Cancer Society, it is “not clear if consumer products containing talcum powder increase cancer risk” due to mixed results and conflicting professional opinions. However, asbestos is a known carcinogen and agencies such as the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classifies asbestos-contaminated talc as “carcinogenic to humans”.

Johnson & Johnson has defended its talc powders in courts for several years and claims that their talc is routinely testing for asbestos. Despite these assurances, consumers remain unconvinced and claim that Johnson & Johnson talc products are contaminated with asbestos which leads to the development of cancer.

Asbestos Talc Powder Lawsuit

Across the country, judges have ordered the company to pay billions of dollars to plaintiffs who have developed cancer after using their talcum powders.

In a lawsuit filed by Stephen Lanzo III, Johnson & Johnson was accused of failing to remove all of the asbestos from talc. As a result, the company allegedly created a new testing standard that allowed a certain amount of asbestos to remain in its talcum powders. That newly allowed amount was not reported because of the new parameters.

The lawsuit alleged the new test was rigged to allow negative results when asbestos in talcum powder was present. The new test involved testing a talc sample.  If five fibers of any single kind of asbestos were found during a two-hour period, that talc was deemed asbestos-laced. If five fibers of the identical type of asbestos were not discerned within two hours, the sample would be determined as asbestos-free.

The new test allegedly allowed tons of asbestos in talcum powder products that were reported to the FDA as asbestos-free. Johnson & Johnson reportedly told the FDA in 1976 that its talc products contained no asbestos, but company documents allegedly show management knew otherwise.

In the Lanzo lawsuit, Stephen and his wife were awarded $117 million after convincing a jury that he became ill with mesothelioma after years of using Johnson & Johnson’s Baby Powder.

Johnson & Johnson Talc Powder Asbestos Verdict

In July 2018, a jury awarded a group of plaintiffs $4.69 billion after the consumers claimed to have developed ovarian cancer after using Johnson & Johnson talc powder contaminated with asbestos. Previous baby powder cancer lawsuits had struggled in court due to varying evidence that talc itself can cause cancer. However, by pinning the blame on asbestos found in talc, plaintiffs in the baby powder lawsuit were able to secure a win.

Asbestos in Talcum Powder Purportedly Hidden

The Reuters investigation uncovered documents that indicated that from a window of time that started at least in 1971 and lasted until the 2000s, Johnson & Johnson’s mined talc and commercially ready baby powders allegedly tested positive for small levels of asbestos contamination.

Reuters accuses Johnson & Johnson of hiding results from the FDA after a minimum of three tests by three competing labs that determined asbestos in talcum powder was found between 1972 and 1975. One of those tests even called the level of asbestos “rather high.”

For years, Johnson & Johnson promoted its talcum powders as “formulated to be gentle, never harsh” and with a “clinically proven mildness formula.” However, the Reuters investigation found that very little of the talc products that make it to the marketplace is ever actually tested for asbestos in talcum powder.

Lanzo’s Asbestos in Talcum Powder Lawsuit is Case No. L-7385-16, in the Superior Court of the State of New Jersey, County of Middlesex.