The word is out there, but is it true? According to Reuters News Service, Johnson & Johnson knew there were at least tiny amounts of asbestos in at least some of their talcum/baby powder since the 1950s. According to their story, the company hid the lab results from regulators.

 

"Facing thousands of lawsuits alleging that its talc caused cancer, J&J insists on the safety and purity of its iconic product. But internal documents examined by Reuters show that the company's powder was sometimes tainted with carcinogenic asbestos and that J&J kept that information from regulators and the public." (Reuters)

For their part, Johnson and Johnson, over in Neenah, WI, says their talc is safe,

In fact, studies of tens of thousands of women and thousands of men show that talc does not cause cancer or asbestos-related disease. Meanwhile, decades of participation with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other global regulators has continually proven the product to be asbestos-free.

Juries have sided three times with people saying they got cancer from the asbestos in Johnson & Johnson talc, three times they've sided against people making this claim. What's this mean? Probably that it may take a long time for us to find out the truth.

Many people aren't waiting, the company's stock fell 16% on Friday when this news came out.

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