Media Reporting Jury Awards Have Alerted The Public To Baby Powder Health Hazards

Women have been alerted to the alleged hazards of using Johnson's Baby Powder and other products that contain talc

Saturday, October 31, 2020 - Media attention regarding the safety of using Johnson's Baby Powder has centered around the multi-million and sometimes multi-billion dollar jury awards given to women with ovarian cancer and both men and women with mesothelioma that have sued Johnson & Johnson. As recently as this summer, headlines in the New York Times have trumpeted the results of jury awards. For example, the New York Times recently published a story under the unambiguous headline, "Women With Cancer Awarded Billions in Baby Powder Suit." Another front-page headline in The Times, back in August of 2017, screamed, "$417 Million Awarded in Suit Tying Johnson's Baby Powder to Cancer." Other media like Forbes Magazine told readers just last month, "Johnson & Johnson To Pay $100 Million In Baby Powder Settlement." Reporting the news in this fashion not only informs readers of the health dangers of using Johnson's Baby Powder but also can harm sales of the product in the future. As a result, Johnson & Johnson decided earlier this year to discontinue selling their iconic brand of baby powder due to a lack of sales caused by the bad publicity. The company has been accused by more than 20,000 people, mostly women with ovarian cancer, that talc, the main ingredient other than fragrance in Johnson's Baby Powder, of being contaminated with asbestos and other hazardous elongated minerals that caused their ovarian cancer and mesothelioma. Thousands of mothers across the United States are diapering their babies several times per day now must decide on how best to treat their child's diaper rash and other discomforts now that the child comfort mainstay is no longer for sale. For the record, Johnson & Johnson attorneys to this date, have stated that Johnson's Baby Powder talc is safe, pure, and asbestos-free despite the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and numerous independent scientific experts testing talc in from the past and present, and finding asbestos. Talcum powder cancer lawsuit claims continue to be filed in the United States and top national attorneys offer a free consultation with no obligation to file a claim.

Johnson & Johnson's defense of talc as safe, pure, and asbestos-free is counter to the findings of eight mineral testing experts employed as witnesses in previous talc trials. Scientists independent of both Johnson & Johnson and the FDA have tested Johnson & Johnson's Talc and the talc contained in other products like women's cosmetics and barbershop talcum powder and have found asbestos. It should be noted that scientists fully agree it is impossible to remove asbestos from talc once contaminated and that there is no level of asbestos contamination thought to be safe. After two dozen jury trials with mixed results, future Johnson's Baby Powder trial are being consolidated into multi-district litigation where the science supporting and denying talc's asbestos contamination can be organized and presented factually. A Daubert hearing was conducted in July 2019 where experts testified to Judge Freda Wolfson about their different asbestos testing methods. Nine months later, in 2020, the Judge ruled that several experts from both sides could testify to future juries.