
On October 18, Johnson & Johnson announced that it was voluntarily
recalling 33,000 bottles of baby powder after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
discovered trace levels of chrysotile asbestos from the same lot. The
recall represents the first time J&J has pulled baby powder from store
shelves and completely undercuts its legal defense insisting that their
baby powder has always been safe.
Although J&J is trying to downplay the results by investigating whether
cross-contamination of the samples played a role or even if the products
tested were counterfeit, FDA. spokesperson responded that “The FDA
stands by the quality of its testing and results.”
Click here for the FDA news release.
The timing of the recall could not be worse for J&J. The multitude
of cancer lawsuits and bombshell investigative reporting released over
the past year has already sent consumer trust plummeting.
According to Bloomberg analysts, “Baby Powder-related liabilities
could eventually cost the company as much as $10 billion.” After
the recall announcement, J&J shares fell more than 6%, the biggest
drop since 2018. Nora Engsrom, Stanford law professor quoted in the Bloomberg
article, states “The wisdom of J&J’s broad defense strategy
for these talc cases clearly is now in doubt.”
As J&J continues it damage control campaign, they are unable to stop
the evidence contradicting their longstanding defense and the fact that
the public has come to associate its iconic product with cancer.
Click here to read more about the legal implications of the J&J baby powder recall.