Talcum powder, asbestos contaminants and cancer

Motion Text

That this House condemns the hypercritical and unjustifiable action by the American pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson which in 2020 withdrew from North American markets its talc-based baby powder, found to be contaminated with asbestos fibre by Government and independent laboratories, but continued to sell that product in countries all over the world including the UK; notes the billions of dollars that Johnson & Johnson has paid out to women diagnosed with ovarian cancer following use of their talc-based baby powder; commends the work of the Asbestos Victims Support Groups Forum UK and its partners in highlighting the public health hazard posed by the sale of talc-based baby powder in the UK; and calls on Johnson & Johnson to withdraw that contentious product from sale in every country around the world.