Key Talc Testing Expert Testified That Scientific Studies Used Inadequate Asbestos Testing Methods
Johnson & Johnson's claim that their talc is asbestos-free falls short due to poor detection methods
Monday, July 3, 2023 - Let us not forget that in December 2019, Dr. William Longo testified before the US House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Reform regarding his work testing talc, the active ingredient in Johnson's Baby Powder, for the presence of asbestos, a deadly carcinogen. Dr. Longo holds a Ph.D. in the area of material science and engineering. He is the president of Materials Analytical Services, LLC (MAS), a laboratory specializing in materials analysis, including asbestos analysis. Dr. Longo has over 30 years of experience in asbestos analysis and research. Dr. Longo has testified as an expert witness in cases on behalf of both plaintiffs and defendants. His most recent work centers around the findings of asbestos in Johnson's Baby Powder during numerous talcum powder ovarian cancer trials. His expertise in the field of material science and engineering, particularly in asbestos analysis, lends credibility to his testimony on determining asbestos in cosmetic talc. During his testimony, Dr. Longo discussed the methods for determining asbestos in cosmetic talc, citing numerous independent labs, including AMA Analytical, Forensic Analytical, MVA Scientific Consultants, MAS, and even Johnson & Johnson's own consultants, which have documented the presence of asbestos in consumer talc products, such as Johnson's baby powder.
Dr. Longo states that the talc industry has accumulated many testing results reporting no detectable asbestos, but these reports are misleading due to poor detection limits resulting from inadequate testing methods. The main issue Dr. Longo addressed in his testimony was the failure of testing methods used by the cosmetic talc industry to detect asbestos. He asserts that the current methods lack the sensitivity required to detect trace levels of asbestos. Asbestos fibers are extremely small and lightweight, measured in picograms. Even if the asbestos content by weight is less than 0.01 percent, there can be millions of asbestos fibers in a single gram of talc. Thus, highly sensitive analytical methods with low detection limits are crucial. Dr. Longo criticizes the laboratories used by the talc industry, including an FDA contract laboratory, for their poor analytical sensitivity, with detection limits ranging from 10 million to 14 million asbestos fibers per gram. He explains that a single asbestos fiber must be visible to the analyst for detection, and any method must allow for the detection of asbestos in samples that are predominantly talc. The nations leading Talcum powder cancer lawyers continue to accept clients with ovarian cancer due to using Johnson’s Baby Powder.
Dr. Longo proposes the use of a sample preparation method called heavy liquid separation (HLS), which can separate talc particles and enhance the detection of amphibole asbestos. He states that his laboratory has achieved an analytical sensitivity of approximately 4,500 asbestos fibers per gram using HLS and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). According to their analysis, approximately 65 percent of cosmetic samples tested in the last three years contained amphibole asbestos. Notably, Mr. Longo points out that the HLS method is not new and was developed in the early 1970s by the Colorado School of Mines and Dartmouth University, who presented it to Johnson & Johnson. However, the company did not adopt the method, suggesting that it may have been deemed too sensitive and not in their best interest.
OnderLaw, LLC -