If you were to offer a blanket statement that said all corporations are evildoers, purposed with formulating evil plans like a James Bond Villain, in an effort to destroy the world, I would suggest that you take advantage of the Affordable Care Act while its still in effect, and see a mental health professional. However, following treatment and a better outlook on life, if you still had an inkling that certain companies were up to no good while convincing the public otherwise, I would let you have that one.
Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) was founded almost 130 years ago by three brothers in 1886 who wanted to create a line of ready-to-use surgical dressings to improve the cleanliness of medical care at the time. The company eventually struck gold when they created the first commercial first aid kids, originally designed for railroad workers to be able to treat nominal injuries and get back to work. Then, after killing the first aid game, Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) did the unthinkable; they created a product more revolutionary than a box of band-aids for men working on the railroad all the livelong day…baby powder.
For those unfamiliar with the process of manufacturing baby powder, i.e. talcum powder, allow me to elongate some factoids in your direction. Talcum powder is sourced from talc, a mineral made up mostly of the elements magnesium, silicon, and oxygen. Like any mineral, talc is mined from the Earth, and in its natural form, some talc contains asbestos. Yes, you’ve heard of asbestos. You know, the carcinogenic substance is known to cause cancer when inhaled? No? Well, according to recent reports, certain brands of talcum powder, specifically baby powder manufactured by Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), contain trace amounts of asbestos.
According to the American Cancer Society, back in 1976, the Cosmetic, Toiletry, and Fragrances Association (CTFA) “issued voluntary guidelines stating that all talc used in cosmetic products in the United States should be free from detectable amounts of asbestos according to their standards.” Reuters recently reported on a woman named Darlene Coker who, in 1999, while terminally ill due to cancer and mesothelioma, hired a personal injury lawyer to look into whether a product she used throughout her life caused her cancer. After examining the documentation, depositions, and trial testimonies from the Coker case, Reuters discovered that “from at least 1971 to the early 2000s,” Johnson & Johnson’s (JNJ) raw talc and baby powder products occasionally tested positive for trace amounts of asbestos, and the company never disclosed this information to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or the public.
Following the publication of Reuters’ reported findings, Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) shares tanked 10.7% to $132 per share, wiping out all of the company’s year-to-date gains and $42 billion in market value, according to several analysts. In July, the company was ordered to pay out $4.69 billion to 22 women and their families who said the asbestos found in J&J (JNJ) baby powder gave them ovarian cancer.
“Plaintiffs’ attorneys out for personal financial gain are distorting historical documents and intentionally creating confusion in the courtroom and in the media. This is all a calculated attempt to distract from the fact that thousands of independent tests prove our talc does not contain asbestos or cause cancer. Any suggestion that Johnson & Johnson knew or hid information about the safety of its talc is false.”
–Ernie Knewitz, Vice President of Global Media Relations, Johnson & Johnson
I said it earlier and I’ll bring it up once more, for emphasis. Not all corporations have bad intuitions and are out to instill fear via evil trace amounts of asbestos. In fact, for the most part, companies “try” their best to not manufacture products that cause cancer, but no one is perfect. Maybe we should give Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) a pass on this one? What do you think? Let’s talc about it…
