Amid a flurry of lawsuits, personal care giant Johnson & Johnson (J&J) has voluntarily recalled a single lot of its Johnson’s Baby Powder product.
The decision to remove #22318RB from the market was taken “out of an abundance of caution”, the company stated, after an FDA test found levels of chrysotile asbestos contamination in a sample.
According to J&J, in response to the findings it has initiated an investigation into the product contamination.
In a statement, J&J said: “Thousands of tests over the past 40 years repeatedly confirm that out consumer talc products do not contain asbestos.
“Our talc comes from ore sources confirmed to meet our stringent specifications that exceed industry standards.”
Customers are advised to discontinue using the product with the lot number #22318RB.
J&J has been contacted for comment on the announcement.
Battle through the courts
Earlier this year, J&J was ordered to pay out more than US$37m in damages to six complainants who accused its Baby Powder product of causing mesothelioma, a type of lung cancer.
Despite this, J&J was cleared following two asbestos trials in California this month and another in Missouri.
However, it has also been held up in court for its part in Oklahoma’s opioid crisis, which saw the business run a “false, misleading and dangerous” sales campaign that played down the effects of opioid in its products, according to an Oklahoma judge.
J&J denied any wrongdoing as part of this campaign.
