Cosmetic products and responsibility for a dangerous product on the basis of Polish civil law
Johnson & Johnson case
Thousands of lawsuits have been filed against Johnson & Johnson, a company known for its baby products, in recent years – but the most well-known one involves 22 women who alleged that their ovarian cancers have been caused by the baby powder they had been using. After the appeal, by the end of which the amount of money the company had to pay those women was reduced from 4.7 billion to 2.1 billion, Johnson & Johnson took legal steps to present the case before the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court has decided not to consider their case, however, which resulted in leaving in place the last verdict of the Missouri appeals-court.
The link between the illness and the product was supposed to be based on the fact that Johnson & Johnson baby powders contained talc. Talc is oftentimes found in close proximity to asbestos, which is carcinogenic, and in the past the talc has been contaminated with asbestos. It is also worth mentioning, that talk on itself is dangerous while inhaled in large doses but the studies aren’t clear on whether or not it’s carcinogenic on itself.
Although Johnson & Johnson denies that their products are dangerous to health, they will no longer be selling the baby powder containing talc in the US and Canada, focusing instead on the corn-starch-based alternative.
Polish Regulations
