London: Johnson & Johnson is facing one of its largest legal challenges in the UK as about 3,000 people file lawsuits claiming the company knowingly sold baby powder contaminated with asbestos.
The claimants allege that long-term use of the talc-based product caused ovarian cancer and mesothelioma, a deadly cancer linked to asbestos exposure.
Filed in the High Court in London by KP Law, the collective claim seeks more than £1 billion in damages. It names Johnson & Johnson, its former subsidiary Kenvue UK, and Johnson & Johnson Management as defendants.
According to court documents, the plaintiffs accuse J&J of concealing the health risks of its talc products for decades. The claim alleges that the company continued to market its baby powder despite knowing that most commercially mined talc deposits contained traces of asbestos.
Michael Rawlinson KC, representing the claimants, stated that internal reports and scientific literature available to J&J should have alerted the company to potential contamination. Instead, he argued, J&J suppressed information and lobbied regulators to ensure the continued sale of its popular baby powder.
“J&J acted in bad faith to protect its brand and profits,” Rawlinson said, adding that the company had sponsored studies that downplayed the potential health risks.
Among the claimants is Janet Fuschillo, 75, who says she used Johnson’s Baby Powder daily since the 1960s and was diagnosed with ovarian cancer seven years ago. “I used talc on myself and all four of my children,” she said. “It’s a source of great concern and anger that I used talc on my children.”
Another claimant, Patricia Angell, blames the death of her husband, Edward, on asbestos-contaminated talc. Edward, an electrician, died of mesothelioma in 2006 at age 64. “He was a perfectly fit, healthy man,” she said. “He never worked with asbestos. The doctors were baffled until his autopsy showed asbestos strains in the talc he used every day.”
Johnson & Johnson and Kenvue, its former consumer health division, spun off two years ago, have denied the allegations. A Kenvue spokesperson said the talc used in Johnson’s Baby Powder met all safety standards and did not contain asbestos.
“We sympathise deeply with people living with cancer and their families,” the company said in a statement. “However, the safety of Johnson’s Baby Powder is supported by decades of testing by independent laboratories and health authorities worldwide. The cosmetic-grade talc used was compliant with all regulations, did not contain asbestos, and did not cause cancer,” the company added.
Johnson & Johnson stopped selling talc-based baby powder in the UK and globally in 2023, three years after halting sales in the US and Canada. The company replaced talc with cornstarch in its baby powder formulation.
