On October 18, Johnson & Johnson, the U.S. healthcare conglomerate facing thousands of lawsuits over its talc-containing products, announced a voluntary recall of a single batch of its baby powder after receiving an alert from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that it tested positive for asbestos, a known cancer-causing substance.
As per the statement released by the healthcare company, the FDA found sub-trace levels of chrysotile asbestos contamination at concentrations not exceeding 0.00002% in a single bottle purchased from an online retailer. The recall applies to lot #22318RB resulting in recall of 33,000 bottles of talcum powder. J&J said it has started an investigation and is reviewing manufacturing records and collecting data on the distribution of the lot to determine where the product was shipped.
Time and again J&J has defended its talcum-powder calling it safe, stating that decades of studies have shown the products to be asbestos-free and that they do not cause cancer. However, the FDA said it stands by the quality of its testing and results and recommended that consumers stop using the product if it comes from the affected lot.
Nearly 14,000 Talcum Powder and Shower-to-Shower lawsuits are consolidated under multidistrict litigation MDL No. 2738; In Re: Johnson & Johnson Talcum Powder Products Marketing, Sales Practices, and Products Liability Litigation. Lawsuits are also pending in a coordinated California proceeding under Judicial Council Coordinated Proceeding No. 4877.
