Urgent recall of baby powder over fears they might contain asbestos

Almost 42,000 bottles of baby powder have been recalled in 35 US states over possible contamination with the cancer-causing mineral asbestos.

Dynarex Corporation, based in New York, manufactures baby powder and other medical and personal care products. On Monday, the company expanded its September 19 recall on a batch that affected 1,500 bottles.

The products may be tainted with asbestos, a naturally occurring mineral in talc.

‘Asbestos, however, is a known carcinogen and its health risks are well-documented,’ stated the company in an announcement through the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

‘If talc mining sites are not carefully chosen or if proper steps are not taken to adequately purify the talc ore, it may contain asbestos.’

The recall now includes 373 cases of Dynacare Baby Powder item number 4875 and 647 cases of item number 4874. They are 14 ounce and 4 ounce bottles, respectively.

They have manufacture dates as far back as October 31, 2023, and expiration dates through January 31, 2027.

Affected baby powder bottles were distributed to Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin.

FDA officials conducting routine sampling discovered that the finished products had asbestos. The cause is under investigation.

The corporation has stopped distributing the products and urges customers to stop using it and return them for a full refund.

As of Wednesday, no illness has yet been reported linked to the baby powder.

Any symptoms should be reported through the FDA’s MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program.

Dynarex is not the first baby powder maker to be linked to asbestos contamination.

In 2020, the biggest baby powder producer in the world, Johnson & Johnson, recalled its talc-based formula in North America. Johnson & Johnson has been served more than 50,000 lawsuits over 20 years alleging that its executives were aware that their baby powder had asbestos but did not disclose it to customers.

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