By Nadine Theron
Johnson & Johson’s controversial baby powder, which may cause cancer, will remain on the shelves at South African retailers until all stock is sold out, the company has announced.
This in spite of a declaration last year that corn flour would replace talcum, the contentious ingredient, worldwide in 2023.
J&J on Tuesday proposed a payout of $8.9 billion to settle more than 60,000 lawsuits brought against it in the US and Canada. The talcum powder is alleged to contain asbestos and can cause users to develop ovarian cancer.
In 2018 alone, 3,394 South African women died of the disease. The death rate has increased by more than 50% in the past decade.
The company halted sales of the product in the US in 2020, as lawsuits mounted.
J&J’s baby powder has been for sale since 1894. An in-depth investigation by Reuters revealed that the company has known for more than 50 years that the powder contains asbestos, an undisputed carcinogenic.
None of South Africa’s major retailers has formally announced whether it would pre-empt J&J’s withdrawal of the product and what would happen to the powder that remains unsold.
The most likely scenario is that it will end up in smaller outlets and spaza shops, where it will be sold to unsuspecting buyers, most of whom do not have medical aid and who are unlikely to be aware of the dangers.
This means the powder could remain in circulation for many years to come.
J&J is unable to say how many containers of the baby powder are still available in South Africa, or when they plan to cease production here. Retailers continue to take delivery of it.
The company does not admit wrongdoing and claims it proposes the settlement because drawn-out lawsuits would prove more costly, irrespective of the outcome.
It said in a statement: “Johnson’s Baby Powder is safe, does not contain asbestos, and does not cause cancer.”
According to Statistics South Africa, cancer deaths in the country increased by 30% between 2008 and 2019. In this period, more women than men died of the disease.
Pictured above: Johnson and Johnson baby powder
Source: twitter
