{"id":1175672,"date":"2022-08-12T14:31:39","date_gmt":"2022-08-12T14:31:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2022\/08\/12\/johnson-and-johnson-to-stop-selling-talcum-powder\/"},"modified":"2022-08-12T14:31:39","modified_gmt":"2022-08-12T14:31:39","slug":"johnson-and-johnson-to-stop-selling-talcum-powder","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2022\/08\/12\/johnson-and-johnson-to-stop-selling-talcum-powder\/","title":{"rendered":"Johnson and Johnson to stop selling talcum powder"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Talcum powder \/ Credit: REUTERS<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Johnson & Johnson (J&J) will stop making and selling its talc-based baby powder around the world from next year.<\/p>\n

The announcement comes more than two years after the healthcare giant ended sales of the product in the US.<\/p>\n

J&J faces tens of thousands of lawsuits from women who allege its talcum powder contained asbestos and caused them to develop ovarian cancer.<\/p>\n

But the company reiterated its view that decades of independent research shows the product is safe to use.<\/p>\n

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\u201cAs part of a worldwide portfolio assessment, we have made the commercial decision to transition to an all cornstarch-based baby powder portfolio,\u201d\u00a0it said in a statement.<\/p>\n

The firm added that cornstarch-based baby powder is already sold in countries around the world.<\/p>\n

At the same time J&J reiterated its position that its baby powder is safe to use: \u201cOur position on the safety of our cosmetic talc remains unchanged.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe stand firmly behind the decades of independent scientific analysis by medical experts around the world that confirms talc-based Johnson\u2019s baby powder is safe, does not contain asbestos, and does not cause cancer,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n

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In 2020, J&J said it would stop selling its talc baby powder in the US and Canada\u00a0because demand had fallen in the wake of what it called \u201cmisinformation\u201d about the product\u2019s safety amid a number of legal cases.<\/p>\n

At the time the firm said it would continue to sell its talc-based baby powder in the UK and the rest of the world.<\/p>\n

The company faces lawsuits from consumers and their survivors who claim J&J\u2019s talc products caused cancer due to contamination with asbestos.<\/p>\n

Talc is mined from the earth and is found in seams close to that of asbestos, which is a material known to cause cancer.<\/p>\n

A 2018 investigation by the Reuters news agency claimed that J&J knew for decades that asbestos was present in its talc products.<\/p>\n

Reuters said that internal company records, trial testimony and other evidence showed that from at least 1971 to the early 2000s, J&J\u2019s raw talc and finished powders sometimes tested positive for small amounts of asbestos.<\/p>\n

In response to evidence of asbestos contamination presented in court rooms, media reports and to US lawmakers, the firm has repeatedly denied the allegations.<\/p>\n

In October, J&J created a subsidiary, LTL Management, assigning its talc claims to it. It later placed it into bankruptcy, which paused the pending lawsuits.<\/p>\n

Before the bankruptcy filing, the company faced costs from $3.5bn (\u00a32.87bn) in verdicts and settlements, including one in which 22 women were awarded a judgement of more than $2bn.<\/p>\n

In April, a shareholder proposal calling for an end to global sales of the talc baby powder failed.<\/p>\n

Johnson\u2019s Baby Powder has been been sold for almost 130 years and became a symbol of the company\u2019s family-friendly image.<\/p>\n

Baby powder is used for preventing nappy rash and for cosmetic uses, including as a dry shampoo.<\/p>\n

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