Johnson & Johnson tumbles after report says it knew for decades that its baby powder contained asbes

[imastawka]

Johnson & Johnson shares sank 8% Friday after Reuters reported the pharmaceutical giant knew for decades that its baby powder contained asbestos.

Reuters reviewed documents, deposition, and trial testimony from at least 1971 to the early 2000s that they say showed powders and raw talc sometimes tested positively for small traces of asbestos.

Furthermore, "company executives, mine managers, scientists, doctors and lawyers fretted over the problem and how to address it while failing to disclose it to regulators or the public," Reuters reporter Lisa Girion wrote.

Johnson & Johnson's outside litigation counsel, Peter Bicks, told Reuters its findings were false and dismissed tests cited in the report as "outlier" results.

This is not the first time the company, which also manufactures medical devices, has come under fire for issues related to its baby powder.

In July, a St. Louis jury awarded $US4.69 billion to 22 women who said its talcum baby powder gave them ovarian cancer. At the time it was the sixth-largest product-defect award in US history.

Johnson & Johnson was down a little over 2% this year.

https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/world/johnson-and-johnson-tumbles-after-report-says-it-knew-for-decad...

I've not used any sort of powder for over 40 years, since it was first suspected of causing cancer.

Never used it on any babies either.

[imastawka]

[janeababe]

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@springyzone wrote:

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@imastawka wrote:

 With all that powder floating around, you can't tell me it doesn't settle in the lower

part of the lungs and impairs the functions of the lungs/breathing.

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I think you have a good point.

Slightly off topic I know, but I was startled and a bit shocked about a year back to read that even something as safe (as i thought) as cinnamon can kill. If it is spilt and inhaled it is apparently lethal, a young boy died of it.

And just this week, heard of someone in hospital unconscious for weeks with peumonia, caused by inhaling spores in compost, so tests discovered.

We need to be careful what we breathe. I don't trust a lot of those air freshener sprays either, not after you read the warnings on the cans of some of them.

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That’s from asphyxiation springy. Same ‘can’ happen with any bulk amount of soft dust particles like flour, pepper is another one.... kids think it’s ‘funny’ to throw pepper in ‘mates’ faces, mate asphyxiates and dies...... stupid stupid games. 

[davidc4430]

[bright.ton42]

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@imastawka wrote:

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[llbis-0]

We often thought later on, that the powder cloud caused our sons asthma.

Warned against dust and mould over 40 years ago.

The ""baby bundle"" bought with a voucher from the New Idea included a tin of powder.

Still happen to have a full tin in my ""olden days"" medicine chest collection.

mesothelioma in the future?