Watch: Johnson & Johnson ordered to pay R1,1 bil. for cancer death linked to talcum powder
Johnson & Johnson has been ordered to pay R1,1 billion after a family linked the death of their loved one to the company's talc-based Baby Powder and Shower to Shower.
Pharmaceutical and consumer products giant Johnson & Johnson has been dealt a tough hand.
The company has been ordered to pay around R1,1 billion to the family of a woman in Missouri, USA after it was found that her death was a result of using the company’s talc-based Baby Powder and Shower to Shower.
Reuters reports that Jacqueline Fox died of ovarian cancer at the age of 62 in October 2015. Fox was diagnosed with the cancer two years before she passed. Fox's son Marvin Salter said his mother used the Baby Powder and Shower to Shower as bathroom staples for decades.
Salter isn't however the only one to have filed a case against the company. Over 1,000 other complaints have been laid against the company. Additionally, there are claims that the company failed to warn customers that its products could cause cancer.
Johnson & Johnson spokesperson Carol Goodrich expressed her sympathies to the family: “We have no higher responsibility than the health and safety of consumers, and we are disappointed with the outcome of the trial. We sympathize with the plaintiff's family but firmly believe the safety of cosmetic talc is supported by decades of scientific evidence."
Talc is known to help keep the body dry by absorbing moisture and cutting down on friction. However, some talc contains asbestos - a substance known to cause cancer.
Watch: Johnson & Johnson ordered to pay R1,1 bil. for cancer death linked to talcum