Government

Johnson & Johnson to pay US$2.1 billion for carcinogenic baby powder

US court ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay US$2.1 billion for baby powder, which causes ovarian cancer. The pharmaceutical giant will continue to sell its product outside Canada and the US.

By Vicki A. Lee

February 27, 2021
at 5:03 PM

It’s hard to find someone who wasn’t sprinkled with Johnson & Johnson’s baby powder as an infant. The Missouri Court of Appeals ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay US$2.1 billion in damages for its talcum powder, which causes ovarian cancer. The court ruled that the pharmaceutical giant was “knowingly selling products that contained asbestos to consumers.” Johnson & Johnson said it will continue to sell its product outside Canada and the US. Is it ethical for the company to continue selling its carcinogenic products anywhere just because the international rules allow it?

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Featured Image: Courtesy of AFP

Vicki A. Lee

Vicki is a staff writer, anchor, and field reporter covering Culture and Lifestyle. She is interested in literature, design, film, and social justice. Vicki is a staunch proponent of the transformative power of art — as a reflection of our common humanity and as a vehicle to effect sociopolitical reform. She lives in Toronto but often daydreams of being elsewhere, which is why she's always jogging. Read her daily updates here @vickiangelalee.