A national group of black women has sued Johnson & Johnson (J&J), alleging that the company illicitly marketed its talcum baby powder even after knowing that it contains cancer-causing harmful ingredients.
The lawsuit is filed in the Superior Court of New Jersey by the National Council of Negro Women or NCNW. The lawsuit alleges that the baby powder caused ovarian cancer among the members of the organization who used the product for decades. The complaint even states that J&J deliberately marketed the baby powder to black women as they were more likely to use the product regularly.
J&J is blamed for not providing adequate warning about the defect of the products and marketing it illicitly for profit. The lawsuit does not stipulate a specific amount that could be penalized on the company. The attorney for the plaintiffs informed that the lawsuit would give justice to all the affected women who are suffering from the painful disease of ovarian cancer.
The company denied all the allegations by stating that its products do not cause cancer, and the company never targeted a specific community with bad intentions.
J&J sold the talc-based powder for more than a century before recalling 33,000 bottles in 2019 and discontinuing its sale in May 2020 throughout the United States and Canada.
J&J's baby powder is among the popular talc products throughout the U.S. which are linked to causing ovarian cancer. A study conducted where a cancer tissue was examined using an electron microscope found talc in it, which supported the claim that the baby powder causes cancer.
It is estimated, over the past 25 years, 12,000 women and their families have sued J&J, alleging that the talc powder causes ovarian cancer. Numerous studies conclude that J&J's talcum powder contains asbestos which is harmful to human health and can cause lifelong ailments.
J&J is also involved in settling opioid lawsuits along with three major pharmaceutical distributors, Cardinal, McKesson, and AmerisourceBergen. J&J and the distributors will pay $26 billion as per the announced deal.
