NCPCR Instructs States to Ban Johnson and Johnson Baby Shampoo

The National Commission for protection of child rights on Friday has directed state departments to restrict the use and selling of Johnson and Johnson baby shampoo. The ban comes as a result of a test that revealed presence formaldehyde in the shampoo. 

Carcinogens in talcum powder: This is not the first time the company has come under fire for having harmful chemicals in its products. Previously the company’s talcum powder products were alleged to have caused ovarian cancer in 22 women in the United States of America and the lawsuit cost the company a $4.7 billion dollar settlement. The talcum powder is a product from talc, a mineral mined from the earth where asbestos is also said to be deposited. It is impossible to completely purify asbestos from talc and asbestos is a known carcinogen which induces cancer such as mesothelioma and ovarian cancer. A Reuters report revealed that the company knew about the presence of asbestos through its tests but kept the test results under wraps. Now the company has over 11,700 cases against them over the harmful nature of its products. 

Formaldehyde: After a test conducted in a Drug testing laboratory in Jaipur, traces of formaldehyde were found in the baby shampoo product. Formaldehyde is a colourless, the flammable chemical which is used during embalming of dead bodies and in wood products like plywood. It is naturally present in the air at 0.03 parts per million parts of air. Although the long term effects of exposure to formaldehyde are still under research, past experiments reveal that they play a part in inducing leukaemia and other cancers. But it hasn’t been classified as a carcinogen yet.

The ban: Though the amount of formaldehyde found in the products may not be enough to induce cancer the ban comes as a safety measure. The NCPCR has also mandated the removal of the baby shampoo from the stocks and displays in shops and markets.