FDA Indicates Presence Of Asbestos In Cosmetic Products

FDA Indicates Presence Of Asbestos In Cosmetic Products

Introduction

On March 9, the FDA issued a press release indicating several cosmetic products that contain talcum powder and have tested positive for asbestos, found from a year-long investigation.

The testing conducted by AMA Analytical Services found that out of 43 talc samples tested, 9 were tested positive for asbestos. The final report was published in six parts on the FDA's website.

Last year, the FDA immediately announced the contamination report and worked closely with the companies on their subsequent recalls. This included Claire’s cosmetics products, recalled in March 2019 and Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder recalled in October.

The FDA will test another additional 50 samples and will continue the sampling throughout 2020. The final results are expected in early 2021.

Nearly 17,000 Talcum Powder and Shower-to-Shower lawsuits are filed against Johnson & Johnson consolidated under multidistrict litigation MDL No. 2738, each raising similar claims that the manufacturer knew about the presence of asbestos and the risk of cancer, yet failed to warn consumers.

Earlier, a Miami jury ordered Johnson & Johnson (J&J) to pay a Florida-based woman $9 million after finding that their talc-based product caused the woman's mesothelioma. The verdict is considered to be the first in the Sunshine State.

According to the jury, J&J was negligent and sold a defective product, which contained asbestos. The plaintiff will receive $3 million for past medical expenses and $6 million for past and future pain and suffering.

Two days ago, attorneys for J&J and the plaintiff, a 62-year-old woman who had alleged that asbestos in its baby powder caused her mesothelioma, reached settlement bringing a halt to the trial that was underway and had completed opening statements.

Johnson's Baby Powder, one of the most popular products containing talcum powder, is linked to increasing a woman's risk of ovarian cancer if she uses it regularly in the genital area. In a few cases, the cancer tissue was studied using an electron microscope and was found to have talc in it, which supported the claim that the cancer was caused by the body powder and increases the talc-related cancer risk.