Johnson & Johnson Recalls Baby Powder Over Asbestos Concerns

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — Johnson & Johnson is recalling some of its baby powder after finding some of the products were contaminated with asbestos.

The voluntary recall came after the Food and Drug Administration discovered asbestos in one of the company's powder products.

The recall includes 33,000 bottles sold through an online retailer.

According to the company, although the contamination level is low, they are not sure if there might have been any cross-contamination.

Johnson & Johnson has not recalled baby powder before but the company has been in hot water concerning the talcum product.

On Oct. 1, 2019, a jury awarded $40.3 million to a woman who says she acquired mesothelioma from her use of Johnson & Johnson talcum powder.

Nancy Cabibi was diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2017 and had undergone surgery, chemotherapy, radiation and immunotherapy.

Cabibi's body tissue showed the presence of tremolite and anthophyllite asbestos, both of which are known contaminants of Johnson's Baby Powder and Shower to Shower, according to court papers. Both products were manufactured by Johnson & Johnson and used by Cabibi.

The jury found Johnson's Baby Powder defective because it contained asbestos and caused Cabibi's mesothelioma, a usually fatal form of cancer, her attorneys said.

Johnson & Johnson attorneys argued that Cabibi had actually been exposed to asbestos because she lived in an industrial area of Los Angeles, but her attorneys countered that she never worked or even entered any facilities where she would have been exposed.