Recently unsealed documents prove that J&J knew asbestos was in their talc as early as the 1970s. These documents were made public in a 2017 lawsuit filed by 50 women in St. Louis who claimed J&J's Baby Powder caused them to develop ovarian cancer.
An internal report from 1973 shows that J&J knew there was asbestos at J&J's Windsor talc mine in Vermont. The report also contains a recommendation from a J&J official suggesting using cornstarch in their baby powder instead of asbestos talc. This was never followed and the company continued using the talc that had asbestos in it causing mesothelioma cancer.
"The business threat is that it can raise doubts on the validity of the documentation of purity and safety of talc."
J&J also went to great lengths to hide the fact that the talc they used in their baby powder that was bought from the Val Chisone mine contained asbestos. Documents revealed that a J&J research scientist convinced the mine's owners to stop distributing the English version of a marketing booklet that referenced trace amounts of asbestos in the talc. "The business threat is that it can raise doubts on the validity of the documentation of purity and safety of talc," the J&J scientist.
Internal company records, trial testimony, and other evidence show that from 1971 to the early 2000s, J&J's raw talc and finished powders sometimes tested positive for small amounts of asbestos.