Toxic Products and Chemicals
/Johnson & Johnson knew its baby powder contained asbestos, an undisputed carcinogen, at least as early as the 1970s, yet allegedly misled consumers into believing its talc products, which it sold for more than a century before stopping, were safe. The misconduct led to a class action lawsuit, tens of thousands of individual lawsuits and an investigation by 42 US states and Washington, D.C. into its marketing of baby powder and other talc-based products. Some of the lawsuits included accusations that Johnson & Johnson marketed baby powder to Black and overweight women despite knowing about possible asbestos contamination for decades. While the company stopped the sale of baby powder products in the United States and Canada in 2020, the product was still on the market for many consumers worldwide by 2022, when investors filed a shareholder proposal asking the company to report on the public health risks from continued worldwide sales of its talc products.
As of mid‑2023, Johnson & Johnson had fully transitioned worldwide to its cornstarch-based baby powder, ending talc-based sales in all markets.
Toxic Chemicals in Water
Poly and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFOA and PFAS) are a class of chemicals that has been under scrutiny and has been linked to hormone disruptions, liver and kidney disease, and cancer in addition to other human health harms. In 2023, Mount Sinai researchers concluded that higher blood concentrations of certain PFAS were associated with a significant reduction in the likelihood of pregnancy and live births. Other studies have shown that certain PFAS can disrupt reproductive hormones and delay puberty and have been linked with increased risks for polycystic ovary syndrome and endometriosis.
In 2023, Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia filed a proposal at Essential Utilities, requesting that the company report on PFAS levels at all Essential water sources, along with the potential public health and/or environmental impacts of toxic materials in the water it provides to the public. The proponents withdrew the proposal after the company agreed to make public test results for its wells and water systems and to report the results to its one million customers.
For more information, refer to the Sustainable Investment Institute’s Investor Briefing on PFAS and other toxic chemicals.