Johnson & Johnson remember baby powder due to asbestos problems
Johnson & Johnson announced on Friday that they are launching a voluntary recall in the United States of popular Johnson's Baby Powder due to low levels of asbestos pollution.
The recall, which is limited to a lot of baby powder bottles manufactured and shipped in the United States last year, comes in response to a US Food and Drug Administration test that found levels of chrysotile asbestos contamination in samples from a bottle purchased online, according to the company.
"I understand that today's recall may be for all those people who may have used the affected baby powder," Acting FDA Commissioner Dr. Ned Sharpless said in a statement Friday. "I want to assure everyone that the agency is taking these concerns seriously and that we are committed to our mandate to protect public health."
"The FDA continues to test cosmetic products that contain talcum for the presence of asbestos to protect Americans from potential health risks," Sharpless said.
People with a bottle of Johnson's baby powder from lot 2231[ads1]8RB, which includes 33,000 bottles, are advised to stop using the product and may contact the company for a refund.
the company noted that the levels found were not greater than 0.00002% and that at this early stage of its investigation the case cannot confirm whether cross contamination occurred, whether the sample came from a bottle with an intact seal or if the product tested is authentic.
The FDA stands for the quality of testing and results, noting that the agency is not aware of any adverse events related to exposure to many affected products. [19659003] "FDA handling of the sample and testing followed standard laboratory analysis procedures, and the FDA sees no indications of cross contamination," FDA spokeswoman Lyndsay Meyer wrote in an email to CNN on Friday.
"The FDA will work with Johnson & Johnson to make it easier to investigate to verify that the product is authentic. There are currently no indications that the product is counterfeit. In addition, the FDA is not aware of any records pointing to forgery of Johnson's baby powder in the US market, "Meyer's email said.
Johnson & Johnson "has immediately initiated a rigorous, thorough investigation into this matter, and is working with the FDA to determine the integrity of the tested sample and the validity of the test results," the company said in its announcement.
The company "has a rigorous testing standard in place to ensure its cosmetic talcum is safe and years of testing, including the FDA's own tests on previous occasions – and as late as last month – found no asbestos. Thousands of tests over the course of of the last 40 years repeatedly confirms that our talcum products do not contain asbestos. "
In its statement, the FDA noted that it has conducted an ongoing investigation of cosmetic products for asbestos since 2018 and to date has tested approximately 50 cosmetic products.
As part of this testing, two samples of Johnson's Baby Powder were tested: one from lot # 22318RB, which was found to be positive for asbestos, and another from lot # 00918RA, which tested negative for asbestos.
The Agency said it expects to release all the results of this study by the end of the year.
Talc is an ingredient used in many cosmetic products, such as baby powder and blush. The FDA has researched potential contamination of talc with asbestos.
For example, in March, the agency announced tests that found asbestos contamination in certain cosmetic products sold by Claires and Justice dealers.
"B other talc and asbestos are naturally occurring minerals that can be found near the earth. Unlike talc, however, asbestos is a known carcinogen. There is the potential for contamination of talc with asbestos, so it is important to choose mining sites for talk carefully and take steps to adequately test the ore, "according to the FDA.
Johnson & Johnson said in its announcement on Friday that "the company is acting with an abundance of caution."
The company has encountered previous allegations of asbestos contamination in talcum powder.
A Reuters report published last year said the company was aware of decades of asbestos in its baby powder, but did not disclose the information to the public.
A lawsuit has been brought against the company in the United States claiming that asbestos in the talcum powder causes cancer. Some of those cases convicted Johnson and Johnson with multi-million dollar awards to the plaintiffs.
