Johnson & Johnson Says New Tests Found No Asbestos In Baby Powder

(RTTNews) - Healthcare giant Johnson & Johnson said that no signs of asbestos were found in retests of the Johnson's Baby Powder that were previously tested by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Earlier in October, J&J had recalled in the U.S. a single lot, or about 33,000 bottles, of the baby powder after an FDA test indicated the presence of sub-trace levels of chrysotile asbestos in samples from a single bottle purchased from an online retailer. Asbestos is a known carcinogen.

The company said Tuesday that 15 new tests from the same bottle of Johnson's Baby Powder previously tested by the FDA found no asbestos.

An additional 48 new laboratory tests of samples from the recalled lot also confirmed that the product does not contain asbestos. These tests were conducted by two third-party laboratories as part of the J&J's ongoing testing and investigation.

"Rigorous and third-party testing confirms there is no asbestos in Johnson's Baby Powder. We stand by the safety of our product," J&J said.

J&J said that following the voluntary recall, it contracted two third-party laboratories to expedite a large number of tests of the recalled lot of the baby powder utilizing Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Powder X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Polarized Light Microscopy (PLM) testing.

J&J said it has a rigorous testing standard in place to ensure its cosmetic talc is safe. Talc is an ingredient used in cosmetic products such as blush and baby powder.

Meanwhile, the FDA also reportedly said it stands by its findings that showed asbestos contamination in the baby powder.

J&J has faced a series of lawsuits alleging its talc-based products contain asbestos that caused ovarian and other cancers. In July last year, a Missouri jury ordered J&J to pay $4.9 billion in a case involving 22 women and their families.