bdnews24.com :
Bangladesh will test samples of Baby Powder by Johnson and Johnson amid worries over the product allegedly containing cancer-causing asbestos.
“We have taken this matter extremely seriously. We’ll start the process of collecting samples from shops when our offices resume on Sunday,” said SM Ishaq Ali, a director of the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI).
“We will first scan the samples for asbestos in our own labs. If that doesn’t happen, we’ll send the samples to Singapore,”
he told bdnews24.com on Friday.
Bangladesh will not ban Baby Powder sales before learning of the result of the sample tests, he said.
Whether asbestos in the talc supply in J&J Baby Powder caused cancer has been the subject of litigation for years. One of the most recognised foreign brands, Baby Powder came under further suspicion after Reuters published a report citing internal documents that showed the company knew for decades the presence of the mineral in its product.
On Thursday, India’s drugs regulator ordered J&J to stop manufacturing Baby Powder using raw materials in two of its Indian factories until test results prove they are free of asbestos.
“All talc in India is sourced and exclusively sold in India and surrounding markets – including Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives – and fully meets the regulatory standards of the Government of India,” the company told Reuters in a statement. J&J also said its talc is routinely tested by both suppliers and independent labs to ensure that it is free of asbestos.
Bangladesh will test samples of Baby Powder by Johnson and Johnson amid worries over the product allegedly containing cancer-causing asbestos.
“We have taken this matter extremely seriously. We’ll start the process of collecting samples from shops when our offices resume on Sunday,” said SM Ishaq Ali, a director of the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI).
“We will first scan the samples for asbestos in our own labs. If that doesn’t happen, we’ll send the samples to Singapore,”
he told bdnews24.com on Friday.
Bangladesh will not ban Baby Powder sales before learning of the result of the sample tests, he said.
Whether asbestos in the talc supply in J&J Baby Powder caused cancer has been the subject of litigation for years. One of the most recognised foreign brands, Baby Powder came under further suspicion after Reuters published a report citing internal documents that showed the company knew for decades the presence of the mineral in its product.
On Thursday, India’s drugs regulator ordered J&J to stop manufacturing Baby Powder using raw materials in two of its Indian factories until test results prove they are free of asbestos.
“All talc in India is sourced and exclusively sold in India and surrounding markets – including Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives – and fully meets the regulatory standards of the Government of India,” the company told Reuters in a statement. J&J also said its talc is routinely tested by both suppliers and independent labs to ensure that it is free of asbestos.
