After tests done by the Food and Drug Administration on Johnson & Johnson’s baby powder came back positive for trace-levels of chrysotile asbestos, the company has decided to recall the product.
Ernie Knewitz, a Johnson & Johnson spokesperson, said the recalled lot, #22318RB, from which the sample was taken, includes 33,000 bottles sold by an unidentified retailer. The company said it initiated the recall “out of an abundance of caution,” according to BBC.
The company also said it was working with the FDA to determine if cross-contamination of the sample caused a false positive, whether the “sample was taken from a bottle with an intact seal, if the sample was prepared in a controlled environment or whether the product” tested is authentic or counterfeit, according to Fox Business.
The company has never pulled its baby powder from the market. However, there have been thousands of lawsuits recently that are being filed against them by people who claim their baby powder and other talc-based products have caused them to contract cancer.
According to The New York Times, some filing lawsuits have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, an aggressive cancer that is considered the signature disease of asbestos exposure, while others have ovarian cancer, which has also been connected to exposure to asbestos.
A report from Reuters published last year said the company knew about asbestos in its baby powder for decades and did nothing to disclose the information. Meanwhile, Johnson & Johnson have claimed that “thousands of tests over the past 40 years repeatedly confirm that (its) consumer talc products do not contain asbestos.”
Talc is an ingredient used in baby powder, blush, and other cosmetic products, according to CNN. The FDA has conducted research into the potential contamination of talc with asbestos. In March, the agency found traces of asbestos in cosmetic products sold at Claire’s and Justice retailers.
“Both talc and asbestos are naturally occurring minerals that may be found in close proximity in the earth. Unlike talc, however, asbestos is a known carcinogen,” the FDA said. “There is the potential for contamination of talc with asbestos and therefore, it is important to select talc mining sites carefully and take steps to test the ore sufficiently.”
USA Today reported that Johnson & Johnson’s stock fell approximately 2.8 percent in early trading, reflecting a loss of more than $12 billion in market capitalization.