3,000 people claim that Johnson’s Baby Powder caused cancer

Approximately 3,000 citizens of Great Britain have initiated a collective legal action against the American pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson, accusing it of selling baby powder containing asbestos for many years. The plaintiffs allege that use of Johnson’s Baby Powder caused them and their loved ones to develop cancers, including ovarian cancer and mesothelioma.

This action was brought to the High Court in London. The law firm KP Law, which represents the plaintiffs, believes that responsibility for the sale of these products should rest with Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiaries, including Johnson & Johnson Management and Kenvue UK. The total amount of the claim is estimated at more than 1 billion pounds.

Lawyers for the plaintiffs claim that the company “concealed health risks” for decades. Although J&J later replaced talc with cornstarch, sales of talcum powder were suspended only in 2023, three years after a similar decision in the US and Canada.

Johnson & Johnson spokespeople strongly deny the allegations. Kenvue, the company’s former consumer health division, said in a statement that the talc used in the products met all regulatory requirements, was asbestos-free, and “does not cause cancer.”

However, attorney Michael Rawlinson (KC), representing the plaintiffs, pointed out that “there are practically no asbestos-free talc industrial reserves left in the world.” He emphasized that J&J was aware of possible contamination because scientific studies and mine reports indicated its presence. The lawyer added that the company “blocked information that could indicate danger” and also “lobbied regulators” to avoid sales restrictions.

Among the plaintiffs is Janet Fuscillo, 75, who used Johnson’s Baby Powder since the 1960s and was diagnosed with ovarian cancer seven years ago. The woman admitted that she used this remedy for her children as well, and now it causes her “great concern and anger.”

Another plaintiff, Patricia Angell, spoke about her husband’s death from mesothelioma in 2006, even though he had never worked with asbestos. The man regularly used J&J powder, she said, and an autopsy found asbestos fibers in his lungs that matched those found in talcum powder.

Kenvue expressed its “deepest sympathy” to all those affected by cancer, but noted that the safety of Johnson’s Baby Powder products has been proven by “years of testing by independent laboratories, universities and health authorities both in the UK and around the world”.