Johnson & Johnson said it was recalling a single lot of its baby powder “out of an abundance of caution,” after a U.S. FDA test found sub-trace levels of chrysotile asbestos in one bottle.
J&J recalled 33,000 bottles of Johnson’s Baby Powder as a precaution after regulators found trace amounts of asbestos in a single bottle purchased from an online retailer. The drugmaker has initiated a "rigorous and thorough" investigation into the matter but can't confirm whether the tested product is authentic or counterfeit. They also cannot confirm if cross-contamination of the sample caused a false positive.
"[J&J] has a rigorous testing standard in place to ensure its cosmetic talc is safe and years of testing, including the FDA's own testing on prior occasions — and as recently as last month — found no asbestos," the drugmaker said in a statement.
The recall comes after J&J was subpoenaed earlier this year for documents related to the safety of its baby power and other talc-containing products, following at least 13,000 lawsuits claiming the products caused cancer.
Read the CBS news report