May 19, 2020 โ After facing thousands of lawsuits from ovarian cancer patients who claim that its talc-based baby powders are contaminated with asbestos, Johnson & Johnson is discontinuing North American sales of the products. Plaintiffs claim that the company knew about its products containing asbestos, a known carcinogen, and did not warn consumers.ย
Existing bottles will continue to be sold by retailers until they run out, and baby powder made with cornstarch will still be available.ย Additionally, Johnson & Johnson will sell the talc-based baby powder in other parts of the worldโjust not in North America.
Reference: Hsu, Tiffany, and Roni Caryn Rabin. โJohnson & Johnson to End Talc-Based Baby Powder Sales in North America.โ The New York Times, The New York Times, 19 May 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/05/19/business/johnson-baby-powder-sales-stopped.html