CPC Raise Alarm over Johnson’s Baby Powder in Nigeria Market

The Consumer Protection Council (CPC) has said it is aware that a judicial process recently decided that Johnson and Johnson (J&J) Talc (baby/body powder) may be harmful and injurious to users.

In a statement released yesterday in Abuja by its Director General, Babatunde Irukera, CPC stated that the product was popularly known as Johnson’s Baby Powder.
Irukera said, “A court in the United States decided that the company failed to warn consumers about the potential health risks associated with using its baby and body powder products. The plaintiffs alleged that asbestos (a carcinogen allegedly present in the talc-an ingredient of the products) caused people to develop ovarian cancer.”

The council further said although the US case was subject to appeal, and that J & J had expressed intention to appeal accordingly, CPC considered it important to alert and educate consumers as they made choices with respect to baby and body powders.
“Regulatory documents filed in the US reveal that there are more than 9,000 plaintiffs against the company in cases involving their talc body powder,” the statement revealed.
The council further noted that scientific findings in support of the decision of the court were otherwise inconclusive and that therefore, a consumer advice was appropriate.

The council stated that it was in communication with the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) as they were the relevant and key regulators with respect to food and drug safety and standards.
It added that, “Consumers are encouraged to proceed with an abundance of caution, and to contact NAFDAC, SON or the CPC with any question while considering alternatives such as face and skin powders containing corn starch instead of talc.”

February 07, 2019