REPORT: J&J Expert, Working for FDA, Found Baby Powder Asbestos

In an effort to prove its Baby Powder products are safe, the company has cast doubt on one of its own experts. Reuters reports that the private lab that found asbestos in Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder is run by a paid expert witness for the company. 

Andreas Saldivar, a laboratory director of AMA Analytical Services Inc., has served as a litigation expert on several occasions for J&J since 2017 in its defense against plaintiffs’ cancer claims. Saldivar runs the private Maryland-based lab that is under a contract with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). 

Earlier this month, Johnson & Johnson voluntarily recalled certain lots of its Baby Powder after the Food and Drug Administration announced the discovery of asbestos in one bottle of its flagship baby product. Since the announcement, the company has attacked the validity of the FDA’s finding and hired another lab to investigate.

The lab run by Saldivar began testing cosmetic talc products for the FDA. In September, it found asbestos in an unmarks sample that the FDA later identified as J&J’s Baby Powder. 

In 2018, Saldivar testified in a deposition that testing he did in 2010 for the FDA showed no evidence of asbestos in Johnson’s Baby Powder. His testimony helped the company maintain that its product is safe.

What does this mean for Baby Powder Lawsuits?

Experts say that a J&J paid expert that testified to the safety of Baby Powder finding asbestos in its product is really bad news for J&J. The company is now in a position where it has to discredit its own expert. The company is going to have a difficult time proving that this single test is erroneous without undermining the reputation of its own expert witness.

FDA officials, however, stand by the lab and its results.

J&J is currently facing more than 16,000 lawsuits from people alleging that Baby Powder contains asbestos and led to various cancers.

What is J&J’s response to the FDA finding asbestos in Baby Powder?

In mid-October, Johnson & Johnson recalled 33,000 22-ounce bottles of talc powder after the FDA revealed finding trace amounts of asbestos. The company said that dozens of tests by two outside firms did not detect any asbestos in its product. While talc is mined from mineral deposits that can be asbestos-contaminated, J&J says that its product is routinely tested to ensure its product is pure. Over the last 40 years, the company has maintained that asbestos has never been detected in its talc products.

Several juries have reached multi-million dollar verdicts against the company. The company has appealed nearly every verdict.

The Carlson Law Firm Can Help

The Carlson Law Firm is accepting talcum powder lawsuit clients from all 50 states. If you’ve developed ovarian cancer and have used Johnson & Johnson’s Baby Powder, contact us today. We can help you navigate the complex legal system to get the compensation you deserve. We are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.