FDA Finds Asbestos in Talc-Based Cosmetics and Issues Warning
Blockbuster news of the US Food and Drug Administration testing and finding asbestos in talc-based cosmetic products alerts women to discontinue using them
Friday, March 8, 2019 - On Tuesday March 6, 2019, the US Food and Drug Administration issued a formal warning, a "safety alert" that "certain cosmetic products sold by Claire's and Justice retailers" such as shimmer powder, eye shadow, and lip gloss, and used every day by women in the United States contain asbestos, a known and proven carcinogenic compound. Once alerted by independent tests the FDA conducted their own testing and confirmed the asbestos findings. The FDA does not have the authority to order a recall of cosmetics thus issuing the alert to consumers to refrain from using the products. It is suspected that the talc component to cosmetics could be the carrier of the asbestos. The FDA warning on asbestos in cosmetics should send shivers down the spine of women around the world worried about developing cancer and may open a new vein of litigation against cosmetic makers worldwide. In addition to containing asbestos, women should also be concerned that talc considered cosmetic-grade and asbestos-free can also be harmful since talc is a form of magnesium silicate that can also be carcinogenic. The FDA's announcement is breaking news and more is sure to develop in the days to come.
On the talcum powder/asbestos legal front, Missouri legislators are addressing a critical issue that could have multi-billion dollar consequences for companies like Johnson & Johnson Inc. who is being sued for billions in punitive damages. Under current law, plaintiffs from other states can join together within a state and combine their lawsuits into one. Such was the case when a Missouri jury awarded 22 plaintiffs the whopping sum of $4.7 billion dollars for the ovarian cancer allegedly caused by a lifetime of using Johnson' Baby Powder. Lawyers for the defense are attempting to have the multi-billion dollar award reduced or the verdict overturned and 22 new and separate trials, each in the plaintiff's home state, granted on the grounds that the plaintiffs had 22 different medical histories and all used talcum powder for different lengths of time. JNJ's case to have the award voided and 22 new trials ordered was bolstered the other day when a proposed change to the Missouri law stating that "an incident must have occurred in the same county or the parties must live in the same county" was sent to the Missouri State House for the final debate. In February of 2019, the State ordered a halt to the practice of combining plaintiffs into single venus. Those opposed to the change combining multiple plaintiffs argue that it would lead to clogging the court system. However, the national talcum powder attorneys representing women and men in the United States proven to have developed cancer from the regular use of Johnson and Johnson's talcum powder and offer a free no obligation consultation to families or persons harmed by the use of talcum powder proven to have asbestos.
The FDA warning finding asbestos in talc-based cosmetics is a shot in the arm for over 10,000 plaintiffs suing Johnson & Johnson alleging that the iconic brand of cosmetic, Johnson's Baby Powder, contains asbestos and caused the plaintiff's ovarian cance or mesothelioma of the lungs. Johnson & Johnson's talc supplier, Imreys Inc., succumbed to the pressure of the multi-billion dollar lawsuits that have been filed against them and their co-defendants and filed for bankruptcy protection in February 2019.
OnderLaw, LLC -