Thousands of people sued against US pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson, alleging that it knowingly sold baby powder in the UK containing talc contaminated with asbestos.
Around 3,000 people said they or their family members developed forms of ovarian cancer or mesothelioma as a result of using Johnson's Baby Powder and are seeking damages in London's High Court.
Lawyers for the group said Johnson & Johnson, as well as its current and former subsidiaries Johnson & Johnson Management and Kenvue UK, should be held liable, according to court papers filed Thursday by KP Law.
They said J&J “hidden” the risk from the public for decades. The company later replaced talc with cornstarch. but only stopped producing and selling talc-based baby powder in the UK and worldwide in 2023, three years after Sales in the US have ended and Canada.
J&J denies the allegations. A spokesman for Kenvue, the former J&J consumer health unit that was spun off two years ago and is responsible for talc-related claims outside the U.S. and Canada, said the talc used in baby powder meets regulations, does not contain asbestos and does not cause cancer.
Talc is a naturally occurring mineral extracted from the earth.
Michael Rawlinson KS, representing the class of individuals suing, said in court papers that “there are very few, if any, commercially exploited talc mines in the world that do not contain asbestos, and that all of the mines supplying the defendants contain asbestos.”
He said reports from such mines, as well as the group's own research along with scientific literature, could tell J&J about asbestos contamination.
Despite this, the company “withheld information that may have indicated that the baby powder was contaminated with asbestos,” Rawlinson added.
He said J&J “lobbied regulators” to ensure continued sales of its products and sponsored studies in an attempt to “downplay the danger” to human health.
Thus, J&J “acted in bad faith to protect the reputation and commercial potential of baby powder and the goodwill associated with their name,” Rawlinson said.
Mesothelioma is a form of cancer that according to the National Health Service Almost always caused by exposure to asbestos, it usually forms in the lungs after a person inhales microscopic mineral fibers.
Rawlinson said the method of applying baby powder – squeezing or shaking the bottle – means clouds of powder hang in the air “for a very long time after use” and are inhaled by the person using it.
Janet Fuschillo, 75, who is one of those prosecuting the case, said she had been using J&J Baby Powder since the 1960s and was diagnosed with ovarian cancer seven years ago.
She said: “I used talcum powder on myself and all four of my children… It is a source of great concern and anger that I used talcum powder on my children.”
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Patricia Angell said her husband Edward died in 2006 at age 64, weeks after being diagnosed with mesothelioma.
She described him as a “perfectly healthy man” who worked as an electrician and knew about asbestos.
She said: “When he got sick, doctors asked him if he had ever been in contact with asbestos and he said he had never been.
“He came home from work every day, showered and used J&J talc…Talc was mentioned in Edward's autopsy report along with the asbestos strains found in the contaminated talc.”
She added that her husband was “robbed” of 19 years of his life, and her children were deprived of their father.
Kenview said: “We have deep empathy for people living with cancer. We understand that they and their families want answers – that's why the facts are so important.”
“Johnson's Baby Powder is proven to be safe through years of testing by independent leading laboratories, universities and health authorities in the UK and around the world.
“The high-quality, cosmetic-grade talc used in Johnson's Baby Powder met all required regulatory standards and was free of asbestos and non-cancer-causing.”
