Johnson & Johnson's History with Talc

Over the past year Johnson & Johnson has made headlines for releasing the first single-shot COVID-19 vaccine. However, when it comes to consumer products, the firm's past has come under scrutiny as well.

Though concerns were raised about the presence of asbestos in their talc baby powder, Johnson & Johnson continued to market the product. In fact, it had done so since 1894, making baby powder out of crushed talc gain popularity as a common household product. By the early 1970s, growing research found that traces of the toxic mineral asbestos were also found in talc. Over the past 20 years, thousands of women have since filed lawsuits against Johnnson & Johnson over claims that their talc baby powder causes ovarian cancer. Check out this archived document to see how representatives from the cosmetic industry, including Johnson & Johnson, responded to growing investigations around the presence of asbestos in their products.