FDA Report Finds Asbestos in Johnson & Johnson Product

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on October 29, 2019

In a blow to the image of safety and uprightness that Johnson & Johnson attempts to present to the world, a report from the Food and Drug Administration indicated that traces of asbestos were discovered in a bottle of baby powder only 13 days after the corporation’s CEO, Alex Gorsky, publicly declared his firm and unshakable belief in the absence of asbestos from the talcum and baby powder sold by the company.

The statement made by Gorsky came during a deposition for a legal case in which a law professor with cancer is suing the company for causing his disease. Up to this point, while claims by Johnson & Johnson regarding the absence of the toxic substance from their products were met with disbelief from much of the population, it was still a topic of debate whether or not test results indicated the presence of asbestos. Now this debate will be more difficult for the company to sustain.

At the time of this writing, over 15,000 separate legal cases have been filed against Johnson & Johnson. In all of these cases, the claimants state that the talc powder used within the company’s products contain toxic levels of asbestos. In 2018, the company came under further scrutiny when a New York Times article revealed that as far back as 50 years – and possibly even further back – it was known within the company that asbestos was present in the product. In an attempt to preserve their image as well as reduce any product development costs as much as possible, Johnson & Johnson appears to have kept the information regarding the toxicity of their product under tight wraps without ever altering their production methods.

When the lawsuits against the company began to emerge, they fought fiercely against the claims made by individuals suffering from debilitating and often fatal forms of cancer. In all of their claims lay the spoken belief that the product did not contain any asbestos. This new FDA report will deflate Johnson & Johnson’s claims, making it all the more difficult for the company to avoid paying out heavily to the thousands of people who are seeking damages.

Sources:

• Report: Johnson & Johnson CEO ‘Believed’ Baby Powder Was Asbestos-Free 13 Days Before FDA Found Trace Levels

James O. Cunningham

Since 1977, personal injury lawyer James Cunningham has provided effective legal advocacy to people who are injured through the negligent actions of another person or entity throughout the Central Florida area. He fights to obtain recoveries for his clients’ physical and emotional pain and suffering and pursues his clients’ personal injury cases with a commitment to excellence and impeccable preparation.