Johnson & Johnson’s yearslong talc litigation saga has taken an unexpected turn. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Michael Kaplan this week denied J&J’s bid to block a lawsuit accusing the company of hiding evidence that its industrial talc operations exposed workers to asbestos, Bloomberg first reported. Decades back, J&J owned the talc mine … [Read more...]
Talc-Based Beauty Products Found to be Contaminated With Asbestos
Talc-based beauty products have been found to be contaminated with asbestos according to some recent news headlines. How can this be? For years, cosmetics and personal care products have included a mineral ingredient called talc in their manufacturing process. Talc’s original intention was to improve the texture and feel of products, … [Read more...]
Chemical Firm BASF and Its Law Firm to Pay $72.5M to Close Talcum-Asbestos Claims
BASF SE, the world’s biggest chemical maker, and a law firm agreed to pay a combined $72.5 million to resolve claims they hid evidence that certain talc products contained asbestos in an effort to scuttle thousands of lawsuits. Executives of BASF, along with lawyers from the New York-based Cahill, Gordon & Reindel LLP, agreed to the joint … [Read more...]
Imerys signs agreement to end talc litigation in the United States
Imerys announced on May 15 that it had reached agreement on a plan to end the [ talcum powder – asbestos litigation ] that resulted in the Chapter 11 (receivership) placement of its North American subsidiaries Imerys Talc America, Imerys Talc Vermont and Imerys Talc Canada. The group had announced at the end of 2018 that these three subsidiaries, … [Read more...]
FDA to hold public meeting on testing for asbestos in talc
For the first time in nearly 50 years, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will examine asbestos testing for talc powders and cosmetics at a hearing on [ February 4, 2020 ]. Regulators are taking a closer look [ at asbestos testing for talc powders and cosmetics ] after finding asbestos, a known carcinogen, in several talc cosmetics and … [Read more...]
US FDA stands by asbestos talc results following J&J error claims
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has said it stands by its test results showing that samples of Johnson & Johnson’s talcum powder contained traces of asbestos. The agency’s position, shared with Chemical Watch this week, follows a December statement from the personal care giant J&J refuting an FDA test that [ found … [Read more...]
Powder Keg: FDA bowed to industry for decades as alarms were sounded over talc
At an invitation-only gathering late last year, U.S. regulators and their guests huddled at a hotel near Washington, D.C., to discuss the best way to detect cancer-causing asbestos in talc powders and cosmetics. The “Asbestos in Talc Symposium,” sponsored by the Food and Drug Administration [ and intended to investigate asbestos in talc powders … [Read more...]