Legislation Could Force Companies To Warn Consumers If Their Products Contains Talc

Cancer warning labels on health and beauty care products could alert consumers to the dangers of talc.

Monday, October 19, 2020 - The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has been, with others, at the forefront of the effort to alert consumers of the dangers of using beauty and baby care products that contain talc. The non-profit organization is working parallel to other highly concerned groups like Black Women for Wellness (BWW). BWW focuses on the ways that Johnson & Johnson has targeted African American women and other women of color in the past and also currently with their Johnson's baby powder and Shower to Shower product campaigns. Talc has been tested and found to allegedly contain asbestos and other elongated fibers known to be cancer-causing. The EWG approach to monitoring the talc-asbestos situation includes cosmetics brands that contain talc sold to children and young adults in their warnings to consumers. Individuals that have developed ovarian cancer or mesothelioma have hired Talc Cancer Lawyers and have filed claims against Johnson & Johnson, Revlon, Clubman, and Colgate Palmolive.

The EWG's concern increased when the FDA reported finding asbestos in talc-based cosmetics sold to children and young adults through Claire's Stores. The group wrote a recent article stating, "Laboratory tests commissioned by the federal Food and Drug Administration of talc-based cosmetics products found the notorious carcinogen asbestos in roughly 20 percent of the samples assessed." EWG Senior Vice President for Government Affairs Scott Faber called the twenty percent figure "downright deplorable." Earlier in 2020, the FDA engaged the services of AMA Analytical Services, Inc., the nation's leading asbestos-contaminated talc testing lab to see if bottles of Johnson's Baby Powder and other cosmetic products were contaminated with asbestos. The EWG alerted US government officials and there is legislation under consideration to force companies to label their talc-based products with a cancer warning. "Michigan Rep. Debbie Dingell (D) has introduced legislation that would require companies to demonstrate that cosmetics marketed to children are free of asbestos, and if they could not prove the products were asbestos-free, the items would have to carry warning labels," according to EWG.

The companies are being sued by tens of thousands of plaintiffs who have developed ovarian cancer or mesothelioma, for failing to inform them of what they knew or had an obligation to know about talc being contaminated with asbestos and other elongated fibers suspected of being carcinogens. Johnson & Johnson was found liable in a recent case involving 22 women of causing their ovarian cancer and penalized over 2 billion dollars by a Missouri jury that was no doubt infuriated after hearing Johnson & Johnson CEO Alex Gorsky testify that he did not have the time or inclination to bother reading the official company correspondence from scientists and legal staff, and instead assumed that they would handle it. Last month, Johnson & Johnson settled 1000 cases brought against them for $100 million and more settlement offers are expected in the future.