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What is asbestos, cancer-causing mineral at the centre of lawsuits against Johnson & Johnson?
Johnson and Johnson aces a fresh lawsuit in London where nearly 3,000 claimants have sought compensation.
Pharmaceutical giant Johnson and Johnson is once again under scanner as over 3,000 people have sued it for cancer-causing contents in its baby talcum powder. The lawsuit was filed by firm KP Law in London. The compensation sought is estimated at over £1 billion ($1.3 billion), the firm said on Thursday.
The lawsuit reportedly alleges that J&J was aware since early 1960s that its talc contained dangerous levels of asbestos but never warned the consumers and continued selling the products in the UK until 2023. The mineral-based talcum powder reportedly contained fibrous forms of talc, as well as tremolite and actinolite, which are classified as asbestos and are known to be a cause of cancers.
The documents cited by several reports, suggesting that J&J was aware of the health consequences of its talc, quoted J&J as saying: "Our baby powder contains talc fragments classifiable as fibre. Occasionally sub-trace quantities of tremolite or actinolite are identifiable…"
What is asbestos?
As a naturally occurring mineral, asbestos is used for insulation in the automobile and construction industries. However, it can be dangerous if inhaled or swallowed. Repeated exposure to asbestos can cause inflammation and scarring, leading to severe health conditions, including mesothelioma and lung cancer.
The mineral is linked to mesothelioma, lung, laryngeal and ovarian cancers and is banned in over 60 countries. In the US, asbestos is known to cause 6,000 cancer deaths each year.
US-based law firm Simmons Hanly Conroy which handles asbestos lawsuits, has termed the mineral as “one of the largest human-made epidemics in history”.
“For decades, the number of asbestos victims kept piling up. However, this crisis could’ve been prevented if asbestos companies hadn’t intentionally covered up the dangers of asbestos exposure,” it says, adding that asbestos was being used for decades in manufacturing without significant regulation. The companies failed to warn the employees of the risks or provide them with protective equipment, or even warn employees about the risks.
“Thousands of employees have suffered asbestos exposure at their workplace, causing many to develop serious asbestos-related diseases like mesothelioma,” it says.
Latest lawsuit in UK
The Guardian quoted one of the British claimants, Sue Rizzello, who believes that her ovarian cancer was caused by her lifelong use of talcum powder. “I’ve used talc all my life. I mean, when I was a child, everybody did. It was just always there. It was just always something you use,” she was quoted as saying.
Johnson & Johnson’s talc products have faced criticism for several years. According to an AFP report citing KP Law, the company withdrew its talc-based baby powder from the North American market three years before pulling it off shelves in Britain in 2023.
The World Health Organization’s cancer agency has also classified talc as “probably carcinogenic to humans” in July 2024. However, a 2020 summary of studies involving 250,000 women in the US found no statistical link between the use of talc on the genitals and ovarian cancer risk.
Despite these findings, mounting lawsuits and personal testimonies have renewed global scrutiny of talc-based products.
“The claim … details how Johnson & Johnson knew that their talc products contained carcinogenic fibres, including asbestos, for more than 50 years,” KP Law said, alleging that the company “chose to keep it on the market in the pursuit of profit,” reported AFP.
