Company reports, internal memos as well as trial and deposition documents indicate that at least from 1971 to the early 2000s, Johnson & Johnson's raw talc and finished powders sometimes tested positive for small amounts of asbestos, Reuters reported.
The documents were released as part of a lawsuit by plaintiffs claiming the product can be linked to ovarian cancer. Some documents indicate consulting labs found asbestos in the company’s talc as early as 1957 and 1958.
Johnson & Johnson rejected the most sensitive method of testing talc for asbestos, a technique its longtime talc overseer called ‘sophisticated’ and ‘disturbing.’ @Reuters investigates: https://t.co/qtMQ4GdPcY pic.twitter.com/J2SVjrQO0O
— Reuters Top News (@Reuters) December 14, 2018
The scathing report drove stock in the company to fall more than 9 percent Friday, its worst sell-off in 16 years, the Associated Press reported.
Johnson & Johnson called the report "one-sided, false and inflammatory."
"Studies of more than 100,000 men and women show that talc does not cause cancer or asbestos-related disease," the company said in a statement. "Thousands of independent tests by regulators and the world's leading labs prove our baby powder has never contained asbestos."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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