Thousands of people in the UK are pursuing legal action against pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson (J&J), alleging the company knowingly sold asbestos-contaminated talcum powder.
As many as 3,000 claimants assert that they or a family member developed ovarian cancer or mesothelioma from using Johnson’s Baby Powder, and are now seeking damages at the High Court in London.
The lawsuit - brought by KP Law against Johnson & Johnson (J&J) and its subsidiary Kenvue Ltd - alleges that J&J was aware as early as the 1960s that its mineral-based talcum powder contained fibrous forms of talc, as well as tremolite and actinolite.
Both minerals - when in their fibrous form - are classified as asbestos and linked to potentially deadly cancers.
The court papers allege that, despite knowing the minerals were directly linked to cancers, J&J never issued warnings on the packaging of its baby powder. Instead it launched aggressive marketing campaigns portraying the powder as a symbol of purity and safety, the lawsuit claims.
Lawyers for the claimants estimate damages sought in the UK could extend to hundreds of millions of pounds and that the claim could become the largest product liability case in British history.
The sale of baby powder containing talc stopped in the UK in 2023.
According to BBC, documents cited in the UK lawsuit are also alleged to show that from the early 1970s J&J executives pushed US regulator the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to accept lower sensitivity standards so that tests did not pick up on small amounts of asbestos fibres.
The claim cites internal documents, which it says show J&J advocated for talc testing standards that tolerated up to 1% asbestos contamination, arguing that more sensitive detection methods were unnecessary.
This, the lawsuit alleges, enabled the company to maintain claims of product purity, misleading regulators and consumers about the presence of asbestos in its talc products.
A spokesperson for Kenvue, which was formerly part of J&J, said, "We sympathise deeply with people living with cancer.
“We understand that they and their families want answers – that’s why the facts are so important.
“The safety of Johnson’s Baby Powder is backed by years of testing by independent and leading laboratories, universities and health authorities in the UK and around the world.
“The high-quality cosmetic grade talc that was used in Johnson’s Baby Powder was compliant with any required regulatory standards, did not contain asbestos, and does not cause cancer.”