Healthcare giant Johnson J&J announced on Thursday that it will stop selling its talc-based baby powder in the United States in 2023, a product that has drawn thousands of consumer safety lawsuits in the US.
The company said it has made the decision to transition to a cornstarch-based baby powder portfolio, which is sold in countries around the world.
J&J previously announced in 2020 that it would stop selling of its talc-based baby powder in the US and Canada due to falling demand due to misinformation about the product's safety, amid a barrage of legal challenges.
The company faces over 38,000 lawsuits from consumers and survivors claiming that it caused cancer due to contamination with asbestos, a known carcinogen. J&J denies the allegations, saying that decades of scientific testing and regulatory approvals have shown it is talc and asbestos-free.
According to the US Food and Drug Administration, Talc is a naturally occurring mineral mined from the earth. It is used mostly in cosmetics and other personal care products, as it can be used to absorb moisture or to improve the feel of a product.
The reports have not conclusively demonstrated that a link exists, or if a link exists, what risk factors may be involved, said the authors of the paper, which suggested a possible use of powders containing talc in the genital area and the incidence of ovarian cancer.
The mineral is also found in close proximity to another mineral, asbestos.
Talc, like asbestos, is a naturally occurring silicate mineral with a different crystal structure. It is sometimes found in close proximity to Talc but is a known carcinogen when inhaled. The FDA said there was potential contamination of talc with asbestos.
The National Environment Agency states that asbestos is used to make building materials, friction and insulation products. The mineral is composed of fibrous silicates, which gives it high tensile strength and good heat and fire resistance.
However, inhaling asbestos fibres can cause serious diseases such as lung cancer, mesothelioma or cancer of the chest and abdominal lining, and asbestosis, the fibrosis of lung tissues.
Since the late 1980s, the use of asbestos materials in buildings and the import of raw asbestos have been banned in Singapore.
The FDA said it has continued to test for asbestos contamination in talc-containing cosmetic products, which were selected based on various factors, including the type, price range, popular products on social media and advertisements, and those marketed towards children.
The agency released the results of its testing on products containing talc for the presence of asbestos in the latest FDA update in 2021.
A total of 50 samples were tested in 2021, and asbestos fibres were not detected in any of them.
One research paper published in 2008 stated that the measures of internal talc exposure such as talc-dusted diaphragms and latex condoms had no relationship with ovarian cancer risk. It added that models studies had not found evidence for a carcinogenic effect.