A famous American dermatologist conducted awful experiments from 1951 to 1974, like injecting the African American prisoners with asbestos and talcum powder to see the consequences.
As per the court documents that have surfaced after decades, Johnson & Johnson funded and played a key role in these experiments. The documents would be important in the ongoing talcum litigation against J&J, as it reveals that these unethical experiments explain that the company suspected, or feared the link between talcum powder and asbestos, which is harmful to humans.
The dermatologist conducted unlawful experiments on the black inmates at Holmesburg Prison in Philadelphia, which eventually helped him to earn accolades and notoriety as he made significant advances in dermatology and anti-acne medications. However, he was unapologetic for his actions and said that everything he did was legal at that time. He died in 2010.
The documents revealed that J&J funded these experiments during the 1970s to study the side effects of talcum powder exposure compared to asbestos exposure. It is also revealed that some of the experiments were funded by the U.S. government and Dow Chemical.
The spokesperson for J&J said that the company regrets being part of these experiments, and the dermatologist's actions do not reflect the company's values.
The ongoing talcum litigation was at a halt after a federal judge allowed the company to move forward with the bankruptcy move. But, these documents would change the outcome of the litigation, and J&J might require to pay more amount to the plaintiffs.
Currently, J&J faces about 38,000 lawsuits over its products Baby Powder and Shower-to-Shower. All the lawsuits allege that the plaintiffs got diagnosed with ovarian cancer, mesothelioma and other injuries because of exposure to talc and asbestos, which is present in the talcum powder. The lawsuits even allege that the company sold the products without providing relevant guidelines to alert the users about health risks associated with talcum usage.
U.S. District Judge Freda L. Wolfson in the District of New Jersey is overlooking most of the talc litigations which are currently pending in the federal court system as part of an MDL.
