Johnson & Johnson’s shareholders voted against a proposal on Thursday to discontinue sales of its talc baby powder around the world as the consumer goods giant tries to shield itself from tens of thousands of lawsuits over the product. The proposal, which failed to win a majority of votes at the company’s annual meeting, was fueled by concerns about the baby powder’s potential links to cancer and claims that the talc in the product can be contaminated by asbestos. More than 40,000 lawsuits have been filed against the company, some including accusations that Johnson & Johnson marketed baby powder to Black and overweight women despite knowing about possible asbestos contamination for decades. The product is no longer available in North America — Johnson & Johnson pulled it from shelves in 2020, a year after recalling some of its baby powder in 2019. But the product, which the company has repeatedly insisted is safe and free from contaminants, is still sold in markets such as Asia and South America.

Source: International New York Times April 28, 2022 21:57 UTC