Two trials last year Johnson & Johnson related to legal claims that J&J’s talc-based powder causes cancer have led to the resurfacing of controversial practices from over 50 years ago. In 1971, Johnson & Johnson funded a study that injected ten Pennsylvania prisoners with asbestos to compare its effect on their skin versus that of talc, a key element of J&J’s baby powder. Over two decades, University of Pennsylvania dermatologist Albert Kligman conducted hundreds of human experiments at Holmesburg Prison in Pennsylvania. The testing regime, funded by entities such as Dow Chemical and the U.S. government, involved mostly Black inmates and first came to light decades ago in books and newspaper articles.
The unsealed prison-testing files came to light as a result of the recent trials, and legal experts believe that information could be powerful evidence in future cases, justifying punishment awards. J&J officials said that they regretted the firm’s involvement in the testing, and they didn’t dispute hiring Kligman in the 1960s to do tests. They do, however, maintain that the tests did not violate research standards at the time they were conducted.
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