Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder... end of an era

A

Aunt Marg

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Johnson & Johnson, to stop selling talcum powder in Canada and the US.

Here is an article on it.

https://learningenglish.voanews.com...lling-talcum-powder-in-us-canada/5430541.html

Gosh... the amount of this we went through in our home throughout the years. For years, dear husband used it to help soothe chaffing in his private area during the height of summer, and as a mom I used it at every diaper change.
 

Well, it had asbestos in it.
Asbestos is a group of six naturally occurring fibrous minerals composed of thin, needle-like fibers. Exposure to asbestos causes several cancers and diseases, including mesothelioma and asbestosis. Although asbestos strengthens and fireproofs materials, it is banned in many countries.
 
PopsnTuff said:
I always heard about talcum not being healthy to use, compared to cornstarch powder, which I've used since a teenager....
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Talk about me being out of touch with the times. Until I seen Kadee's post, I wasn't aware J&J made a cornstarch powder.

Do remember using regular cornstarch and even going as far as lightly browning flour in a pan to use on my kids when they had a diaper rash. Little did I know I should have stuck with the cornstarch and browned flour.
 
Gaer said:
i used to sprinkle it liberally on my babies at diaper change, and now find out it's cancer causing? Wow!
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It's scary for sure, and definitely encourages one to think of how many other products we use from day to day that are equally as detrimental.

Aunt Bea said:
It seems very wrong and sad to me that they will continue to sell talcum based powder in other countries.

That speaks loud and clear to the culture and ethics of the company.
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Definitely, and it speaks loud and clear as to the lack of integrity related to regulators of products.
 
Kadee46 said:
We still have the powder here in Australia it’s called Pure Cornstarch ..wonder if they are discontinuing that in Aust? ..as I use it when going out dancingView attachment 106411its made in the US
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When I seen this picture I thought, wow, how come I didn't know about this before.

I would suspect the cornstarch powder will remain., and now that I know about, I'm going to try it.
 
Llynn said:
When I was in the Navy during deployments to SE Asia, nearly every sailor liberally applied baby talc to keep our uniforms from sticking to us in that humid climate. Just one more thing that is going to kill me I suppose.
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And I'll bet it worked well!

win231 said:
Well, it had asbestos in it.
Asbestos is a group of six naturally occurring fibrous minerals composed of thin, needle-like fibers. Exposure to asbestos causes several cancers and diseases, including mesothelioma and asbestosis. Although asbestos strengthens and fireproofs materials, it is banned in many countries.
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Scary to think about.
 
What I don't understand: class-action lawsuits (ads on t.v.) stating the public knew nothing about this issue til quite recently.. because I recall warnings in the news saying talcum powder could cause ovarian cancer (and lung cancer, depending on the area of the body it's used on) long before I saw a computer- making it somewhere in the 1990s.

Around the same time there were also warnings about the radiation from cell phones (I'd never seen a cell phone back then), but during the last couple of years I've seen news stories stating it's something they're only finding out about now.
 
.J&J had tests of their baby powder in the early 1970s, which showed the presence of asbestos in their product. And it was well know in the 1960s that continued exposure to even small amounts of asbestos produced certain cancers, unique to asbestos use. There was a lawsuit in 1999 about asbestos in J&J's baby powder, but it wasn't successful. At that time, no one had those internal memos that proved J&J was aware of the problem. BTW, It's not just one lawsuit, but well over 100,000 suits filed by cancer victims.
 
JaniceM said:
What I don't understand: class-action lawsuits (ads on t.v.) stating the public knew nothing about this issue til quite recently.. because I recall warnings in the news saying talcum powder could cause ovarian cancer (and lung cancer, depending on the area of the body it's used on) long before I saw a computer- making it somewhere in the 1990s.

Around the same time there were also warnings about the radiation from cell phones (I'd never seen a cell phone back then), but during the last couple of years I've seen news stories stating it's something they're only finding out about now.
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It's been a good number of years for me, having known about pending lawsuits associated with J&J Baby Powder, but what I don't understand, is with so many lawsuits in the midst, how in the world is J&J still being allowed to continue selling their baby powder? You'd think with a ban in Canada and the US, that would be sufficient to kill the product off permanently.
 
Aunt Marg said:
It's been a good number of years for me, having known about pending lawsuits associated with J&J Baby Powder, but what I don't understand, is with so many lawsuits in the midst, how in the world is J&J still being allowed to continue selling their baby powder? You'd think with a ban in Canada and the US, that would be sufficient to kill the product off permanently.
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That would be sensible! But I've also noticed that even with class-action lawsuits over cancer, the company that makes Roundup is still pushing it to farmers- I saw their ads on t.v. only a few weeks ago.
Maybe companies that are over-the-top wealthy simply care nothing about the harm they cause.
 
fuzzybuddy said:
.J&J had tests of their baby powder in the early 1970s, which showed the presence of asbestos in their product. And it was well know in the 1960s that continued exposure to even small amounts of asbestos produced certain cancers, unique to asbestos use. There was a lawsuit in 1999 about asbestos in J&J's baby powder, but it wasn't successful. At that time, no one had those internal memos that proved J&J was aware of the problem. BTW, It's not just one lawsuit, but well over 100,000 suits filed by cancer victims.
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Spooky to think what a household staple it became, and how many generations grew up with it and were raised with it.
 
JaniceM said:
That would be sensible! But I've also noticed that even with class-action lawsuits over cancer, the company that makes Roundup is still pushing it to farmers- I saw their ads on t.v. only a few weeks ago.
Maybe companies that are over-the-top wealthy simply care nothing about the harm they cause.
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I agree, and in many ways it reminds me of the food industry, where known products and things contain carcinogenic agents and ingredients, yet continue to be passed by those who oversee the health and safety of consumers.

If only everyday common consumers would stick together as one, the power we'd have, we could shut down industries and alter the course of the food we serve on the table and the chemicals we use from day to day.
 
Aunt Marg said:
I agree, and in many ways it reminds me of the food industry, where known products and things contain carcinogenic agents and ingredients, yet continue to be passed by those who oversee the health and safety of consumers.

If only everyday common consumers would stick together as one, the power we'd have, we could shut down industries and alter the course of the food we serve on the table and the chemicals we use from day to day.
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Like the product boycotts that were popular decades ago..
It'd seem to me the popularity of the internet would make it easier to reach like-minded people.. if somebody knows how to do that.
 
JaniceM said:
Like the product boycotts that were popular decades ago..
It'd seem to me the popularity of the internet would make it easier to reach like-minded people.. if somebody knows how to do that.
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Well said, and expressed better than I ever could have. :)

Who knows, maybe, just maybe, we will see a movement in the future (sooner rather than later I'm hoping) to join as one, the more we are made aware of products and things such as this. At least that's my hope.
 
PopsnTuff said:
Aluminum in our deodorants is another no-no for me.....been using baking soda made into a small paste in my hand and applying to my armpits for years now.....works just as well controlling odor but not so much the sweating.....peace of mind tho using a natural product.
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Excellent mention! Never even thought of it.

Both hubby and I use straight deodorant (not antiperspirant), but will be revisiting that now, courtesy of your mention. Thanks for that, Pops.
 
It's business. Most products that are manufactured leave behind some sort of toxic byproduct. Instead of disposing of it, they'll find other uses for it for profit. When asbestos was banned, they were left with tons of it, so they would sell it instead of throwing it away.
By the time it's connected to an illness, the profit is higher than the payout - which their insurance company probably pays, anyway.

Similar situation with Ford. A design engineer said they could have moved the Pinto's gas tank to a safer location than right behind the rear bumper for a few dollars per car. They decided it wasn't cost worthy, & it was cheaper for their insurer to pay damages to burn victims. Or, to their families when they didn't survive.
Same situation with the "Classic" Mustang, which has a drop-in gas tank in the bottom of the trunk.
 
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JaniceM said:
What I don't understand: class-action lawsuits (ads on t.v.) stating the public knew nothing about this issue til quite recently.. because I recall warnings in the news saying talcum powder could cause ovarian cancer (and lung cancer, depending on the area of the body it's used on) long before I saw a computer- making it somewhere in the 1990s.

Around the same time there were also warnings about the radiation from cell phones (I'd never seen a cell phone back then), but during the last couple of years I've seen news stories stating it's something they're only finding out about now.
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You're right, Janice. We were told about these things by the media back in the 90's as I remember.
 
RadishRose said:
You're right, Janice. We were told about these things by the media back in the 90's as I remember.
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I vaguely remember rumblings related to, but nothing concrete.

Reflecting upon whatever news I remember hearing, I mirror to that of how drinking milk causes cancer. Just a bunch of loose malarkey.
 

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