TALC CANCER SCANDAL
Johnson & Johnson ‘knew for DECADES there was cancer-causing asbestos in its talcum powder’
JOHNSON’S baby powder makers knew for years there was asbestos in its talc for infants, it’s claimed.
An investigation by news agency Reuters reviewed previously confidential documents showing the company's raw talc and finished powders sometimes tested positive for small amounts.
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The reports, memos and other confidential reports relate to a successfully defended Johnson & Johnson lawsuit in 1999.
These are now being shared with lawyers for some of the 11,700 plaintiffs now claiming that the company's talc caused their cancers.
Reuters claim they show from 1971 to the early 2000s, the company’s executives, mine managers, doctors and lawyers were aware raw talc and finished powders sometimes tested positive for small amounts of asbestos.
J&J declined to comment further to the news agency, regarding the claims.
For more than two months, it turned down repeated requests for an interview with J&J executives.
The Sun Online has contacted J&J about these latest reports and is awaiting a reply.
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In July the company was ordered to shell out £3.6billion to 22 women after asbestos in its products gave them ovarian cancer.
A jury in St Louis, Missouri initially awarded £418million in compensation and added £3.1billion in punitive damages in the latest court case against pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson.
However, the payout amounts to just 6.17 per cent of the firm's £58.35billion annual revenue.
The verdict comes as the company fights some 9,000 legal cases involving its signature baby powder.
J&J said it was "deeply disappointed" and plans to appeal the ruling.
During the six-week trial, the women and their families said they developed ovarian cancer after using baby powder and other talc products for decades.
Their lawyers alleged the company knew its talc was contaminated with asbestos since the 1970s but failed to warn buyers about the risks.
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What is Asbestos?
Asbestos is most commonly associated with a type of cancer called mesothelioma.
Mesothelioma mainly affects the lining of the lungs, although it can also affect the lining of the tummy, heart or testicles.
In July 2018 22 women were awarded a record £3.6billion pay out from Johnson & Johnson.
They told a jury in the US state of Mississippi that talcum powder led them to develop ovarian cancer.
Their lawyers alleged the company knew its talc was contaminated with asbestos.
More than 2,600 people are diagnosed with the condition each year in the UK.
Most cases are diagnosed in people aged 60-80 and men are affected more commonly than women.
Asbestos can cause cancer when tiny particles make their way into the body.
These tiny fibres can easily get in the lungs, where they get stuck, damaging the organs over time.
It usually takes a while for this to cause any obvious problems, with mesothelioma typically developing more than 20 years after exposure to asbestos.
The use of asbestos was completely banned in 1999, so the risk of exposure is much lower nowadays.
However, materials containing asbestos are still found in many older buildings.
Mesothelioma is quite a rare cancer.
More than 9 out of 10 men with mesothelioma, and more than 8 out of 10 women with this type of cancer have been in contact with asbestos.
But some people with mesothelioma say they have no history of any exposure to asbestos.
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Talc is a mineral and can sometimes be found in the ground in close proximity to asbestos.
J&J denied that its products ever contained asbestos and insisted that they do not cause cancer.
The firm claims several studies have concluded its talc is safe and insisted the verdict was a “fundamentally unfair process”.
A study commissioned by the US Food and Drug Administration, which included testing a variety of talc samples, including J&J, from 2009 to 2010, found no asbestos in any of them.
The prosecution lawyer told the court that it, and Johnson & Johnson, had used flawed testing methods.
UK-based ovarian cancer charity, Ovacome says there have been concerns for some years that using talcum powder on the genital area may increase the risk of ovarian cancer, but says this has not been proved by research and more studies are needed.
The verdict is the largest payout J&J has faced over allegations its talc products cause cancer.
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A previous ruling in 2017 by a California jury awarded $417m (£323.4m) to a woman who said she developed ovarian cancer after using the firm's products including baby powder.
However, a judge later overturned that verdict and several other legal challenges by J&J are yet to be decided.
And last year, the firm was ordered to pay banker Stephen Lanzo, 46, £21million after a jury backed his claim that baby powder gave him cancer.
Asked how much Johnson & Johnson has paid out to cancer sufferers who have won their cases, a spokeswoman said: "We have not paid anything and continue to pursue the appeals process in the United States."
Why is J&J being sued?
Those taking action against J&J claim their cancer was caused by using the pharmaceutical giant's products, including its signature baby powder.
They say the firm failed to warn users about the harmful dangers of the product, despite concerns by the American Cancer Society in 1999.
In older talcum products, the powder was often contaminated with asbestos, but since the revelation of the link between asbestos and cancer, all products are required to be asbestos-free.
How much has J&J been ordered to pay so far and who else has filed lawsuits?
So far, Johnson & Johnson has been ordered to pay out around £4.1billion to people who claim baby powder gave them cancer.
In August 2017 the firm was ordered to pay more than £323million to a woman said she got ovarian cancer from using its baby powder.
The award in California was then the highest in a string of US lawsuits brought by women claiming the company did not warn them about supposed cancer risks.
Eva Echeverria, 63, said she began using the powder when she was 11.
She was diagnosed with cancer 10 years ago and her lawyers said it is terminal.
The firm was ordered to pay more than £85million to Lois Slemp, 62, of Wise, Virginia, who says she got cancer from using the company's products.
In a similar case, a court ruled that ovarian cancer sufferer Deborah Giannecchini of Modesto, California, should receive £58million after she claimed Johnson’s baby power made her ill.
J&J was also ordered to pay banker Stephen Lanzo, 46, more than £21 million in April after he claimed his lifelong use of talc contributed to his mesothelioma diagnosis in 2016.
What's wrong with J&J's baby powder?
The naturally occurring mineral compounds known as talc can sometimes be contaminated with asbestos - another group of minerals that are carcinogens.
Although American talc products have tested negative for asbestos for decades now, controversy continues over whether "pure" forms of talc can cause ovarian and lung cancers.
Doctors have identified talc particles inside cancerous ovarian tissue, the theory being that, when it is applied to the genital region, it manages to work its way up through the vagina to the ovaries.
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