After manufacturing a talc-based baby powder for over a century, Johnson & Johnson (J&J) announced in May that it’ll stop selling the product in the United States and Canada. In recent years, they’ve faced several lawsuits related to regular use causing both ovarian cancer and mesothelioma. Still, it wasn’t these lawsuits that caused them to stop manufacturing the product. It was the rapid spread of COVID-19 this spring and the need to place a priority on producing higher-demand items as well as the need to practice social distancing at both manufacturing and distribution facilities. Stores will continue to sell their existing inventory with no restocks planned.

Johnson & Johnson’s History of Lawsuits

Given the history of lawsuits related to J&J’s talcum powder, it’s surprising that the product has never been recalled. 

Despite tens of thousands of lawsuits filed by women who developed ovarian cancer after using talcum powder — and the loss of multimillion dollars as a result of these cases — J&J continues to stand behind the safety of the product. Other companies have put warning labels on their talcum powders, but J&J refuses to do so. More research needs to be completed, but it’s important to note that some scientific studies do show that women have an increased risk of ovarian cancer after consistent use of talcum powder in their genital area.

A separate set of lawsuits ties the product to mesothelioma, as talc is often mined near asbestos. Scientists testified that they found asbestos in samples of the product, but J&J argued that their product was asbestos-free. 

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JUUL Labs, one of the companies behind the production of electronic cigarettes, has landed itself in the headlines again. A recent study from Stanford University’s School of Medicine revealed that teens and young adults who use e-cigarettes are at “a substantially increased risk of COVID-19.” Specifically, the study divulged that young people who used both cigarettes and e-cigarettes in the previous month were five times as likely to experience COVID-19 symptoms as someone who never smoked or vaped.

To read more about E-Cigarettes and Vaping, click here. 

The Need for Regulation of Electronic Cigarettes

In response to these results, JUUL Labs filed Premarket Tobacco Product Applications for its e-cigarettes and nicotine cartridges, which will undergo a “substantive scientific review” by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). 

“Now is the time,” stressed Dr. Bonnie Halpern-Felsher, the study’s author. “We need the FDA to hurry up and regulate these products. And we need to tell everyone: If you are a vaper, you are putting yourself at risk for COVID-19 and other lung diseases.”

Currently facing over 650 lawsuits as well as a criminal investigation that was launched in September 2019, JUUL Labs is committed to working collaboratively with regulators, legislators, attorneys general, and public health officials to “combat underage use and transition adult smokers from combustible cigarettes.” As part of the process, the company has halted all television, print, and digital advertising as it builds up the science and evidence-based research behind its products.