The state of New Mexico is suing Johnson & Johnson, accusing the company of misleading consumers — children and black and Hispanic women in particular — about the safety of its talc products, according to The New York Times.
J&J faces more than 16,800 other talc-related lawsuits, but this is the first brought against the company by an entire state.
Hector Balderas, the attorney general of New Mexico, filed a complaint Jan. 2 against J&J, writing that the company "concealed and failed to warn consumers about the dangers associated with their talc products."
"These products have been targeted at minority groups, especially black and Hispanic women and children, with false messages about their safety, and I will hold these companies accountable," Mr. Balderas wrote.
Many of the other lawsuits against J&J claim that the company marketed its talc products for decades as "pure and soothing," despite receiving internal complaints from executives about the safety of the products, according to The Times.
J&J also faces investigations by the Securities and Exchange Commission and the U.S. Justice Department over safety concerns related to its talc products, which include lung disease, ovarian cancer and mesothelioma, associated with asbestos.
In October, J&J recalled 33,000 bottles of its baby powder after an FDA test found small traces of asbestos in the product. J&J later said follow-up tests found no trace of asbestos in its product, but a Wall Street Journal review found that J&J rushed its tests of its baby powder, complicating the results.
J&J said in a statement to The Times that it is reviewing New Mexico's lawsuit and that it will "continue to defend the safety of Johnson’s baby powder, which is supported by decades of scientific evidence showing our talc is safe and free of asbestos."
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