The American company Johnson & Johnson has been sued by more than 3,000 people in the UK over allegations that its baby powder contains asbestos, which poses a cancer risk.
The plaintiffs filed a lawsuit in the High Court in London, alleging that the company knowingly sold talcum powder contaminated with asbestos and that this caused cancer.
According to British media reports, the lawsuit filed by KP Law accuses Johnson & Johnson and Kenvue UK, which was spun off from this company in 2023, of selling products between 1965 and 2023 that allegedly caused ovarian cancer and mesothelioma (cancer of the lung membrane).
According to the plaintiffs, Johnson & Johnson's baby powder contained carcinogenic fibers, including asbestos, and the company hid this risk from consumers for decades.
In a statement from Kenvue, the idea was defended that the baby powder in question "does not contain asbestos and does not cause cancer."
Last week, the company was ordered to pay $966 million to the family of a woman who died of mesothelioma in California. This is one of the largest damages ever awarded against the company.
Johnson & Johnson is also facing similar lawsuits in the US from multiple individuals who claim they were affected by cancer after using its talc-based products.
The company discontinued sales of its talcum-based baby powder in the US in 2020 and globally in 2023, changing its formula to a cornstarch-based version.