 "Bottles of Johnson & Johnson baby powder line a drugstore shelf in New York. File Reuters")
Baby-product maker Johnson & Johnson has been sued by thousands in the UK over the claim that it knowingly sold baby powder contaminated with asbestos.
The lawsuit involves complaints by 3,000 people, internal memos, and scientific reports that claim that baby talcum contains traces of asbestos, a known cause of cancer.
What does the lawsuit claim?
The lawsuit claims that J&J knew as early as the 1960s that its mineral-based talcum powder contained fibrous forms of talc, including tremolite and actinolite. In their fibrous form, both minerals are classified as asbestos and have been linked to potentially deadly cancers.
The papers highlight that, despite being fully aware that the minerals are linked to cancer, J&J did not issue any warning on the packaging of its baby powder and instead launched bigshot marketing campaigns displaying the product on the packaging of its baby powder..
The UK action reflects widespread litigation in the United States, where numerous lawsuits have resulted in claimants being awarded billions of dollars in damages. Lawyers representing the UK claimants estimate that the damages sought could reach hundreds of millions of pounds, potentially making it the largest product liability case in British legal history.
What has J&J said?
Meanwhile, J&J has rejected all the claims made in the lawsuit, saying its baby powder “was compliant with any required regulatory standards, did not contain asbestos, and does not cause cancer”.
Last week, A Los Angeles jury ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay $966 million to the family of a woman who died from mesothelioma, finding the company liable in the latest trial alleging its talc products cause cancer.
The family of Mae Moore, a California resident who died at age 88 in 2021, sued the company the same year, claiming J&J’s talc baby powder products contained asbestos fibers that caused her rare cancer. The jury late on Monday ordered J&J to pay $16 million in compensatory damages and $950 million in punitive damages, according to court filings.
With inputs from agencies