Bloomberg said on August 8** that people familiar with the matter said that Johnson & Johnson has preliminarily agreed to pay about 700 million US dollars (about 5 billion yuan) to settle an investigation into the company in more than 40 states in the United States about its baby powder. The settlement will allow Johnson & Johnson to avoid potential lawsuits alleging that Johnson & Johnson concealed the risk that the asbestos component in its talcum powder could cause various cancers.
Since 2014, Johnson & Johnson's baby powder and other products have been caught in a carcinogenic storm. Some consumers have alleged that their baby powder and other talcum powder products contain asbestos, causing cancer in long-term users.
It is reported that Johnson & Johnson is currently facing more than 50,000 lawsuits, most of which are filed by women with ovarian cancer. Against this backdrop, Johnson & Johnson has tentatively agreed to pay a settlement of about $700 million to settle an investigation into its baby powder in more than 40 U.S. states.
Johnson & Johnson did not respond to comment. But Bloomberg reported that in several U.S. states, investigations into Johnson & Johnson's baby powder causing cancer are still ongoing, and those investigations "have not yet reached a settlement."
It is reported that from 2023, Johnson & Johnson will stop selling baby powder containing talcum powder worldwide, and will use all corn starch ingredients. Still, Johnson & Johnson denied allegations that its talcum-containing products caused cancer, saying in a court summary that epidemiological studies had not found a substantial link between the use of cosmetics containing talc and ovarian cancer.
As for whether it is carcinogenic, experts say that most talcum powders contain talcum powder, which is a mineral that is ubiquitous in nature, with delicate, lubricating, ultraviolet protection and other effects, and has been used for hundreds of years. Talcum powder itself is a class 2b carcinogen, but it is less toxic and has a lower risk of carcinogenesis under the premise of short-term and rational use. Experts say it's talcum powder that contains asbestos that causes cancer.
It is reported that asbestos is a component of first-class carcinogens. Natural talc is buried in the ground along with serpentine containing asbestos, resulting in a risk of cross-contamination of talc with asbestos during the mining process. According to the preliminary list of carcinogens published by the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer, asbestos is in the list of a class of carcinogens, and industrial talcum powder containing asbestos is expressly prohibited from being used in the production of cosmetics. 