Thousands of people have joined a legal claim against pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson, accusing the company of knowingly selling baby powder contaminated with asbestos. Around 3,000 people have reportedly joined the lawsuit brought by KP Law.
They claim the firm was aware as early as the 1960s that mineral-based talcum powder contained fibres linked to an increased risk of cancer. J&J has denied the allegations and said its baby powder “was compliant with any required regulatory standards, did not contain asbestos, and does not cause cancer”.
Sales of baby powder containing talc were stopped in the UK in 2023. J&J replaced it with a cornstarch-based product.
Multiple lawsuits have already been filed in the US, where claimants were awarded billions of dollars in damages. However, the company successfully appealed in some cases.
Talc is a naturally occurring mineral known for its softness and used in a variety of cosmetics, ceramics and paints.
But Michael Rawlinson KC, representing the claimants, alleged in court documents that “there exist very few, if any, commercially exploited talc deposits in the world which do not contain asbestos”.
The lawsuit alleges that J&J “suppressed information that might indicate that baby powder was contaminated with asbestos”.
The company was also accused of lobbying regulators to allow sales and sponsoring studies to “downplay the dangers”.
Janet Fuschillo, 75, is one of the claimants. She said she used J&J’s baby powder since the 1960s and was diagnosed with ovarian cancer seven years ago.
She said: “I used talc on myself and all four of my children… I used talc when I changed nappies, after baths, all the time, for close to 50 years.”