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posted by martyb on Monday December 17 2018, @12:19AM   Printer-friendly
from the Taking-a-powder dept.

Johnson & Johnson's stock slammed after report it knew of asbestos in baby powder

Shares of Johnson & Johnson tumbled Friday, after a Reuters report that the drug and consumer-products company knew for decades that its baby talcum powder was contaminated with asbestos, a known carcinogen, that is alleged to have caused cancer in thousands of its customers.

The stock ended 10% lower on Friday, marking its largest one-day percentage decline in 16 years and lowest close in nearly four months, according to FactSet data. It led decliners on the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 on the day, and accounted for about 101 points of the Dow's 497-point loss.

[...] Reuters said an examination of internal company memos and other documents found the New Jersey–based company was aware of the presence of small amounts of asbestos in its products from as early as 1971 but failed to disclose that fact to regulators or to the general public.

Reuters stands by J&J report, says it was based 'entirely' on Johnson & Johnson documents

Reuters reporter Lisa Girion stands by her report that Johnson & Johnson knew for decades that asbestos was in its baby powder. "Our report on the fact that J&J was aware of small amounts of asbestos in its talc, in its baby power, in the ore that it mined in Vermont to make baby power, is based entirely on their documents," Girion told CNBC's "Power Lunch" on Friday.

The Reuters story sent J&J shares down 9 percent on Friday and prompted a response from the health-care company that called the article "one-sided, false and inflammatory." "Simply put, the Reuters story is an absurd conspiracy theory, in that it apparently has spanned over 40 years, orchestrated among generations of global regulators, the world's foremost scientists and universities, leading independent labs, and J&J employees themselves," the company said in a statement.

See also: Asbestos Opens New Legal Front in Battle Over Johnson's Baby Powder
Those J&J Baby-Powder Lawsuits Aren't Going Away
Johnson & Johnson loses $39.8 billion in market value in one day after report claims it knew about asbestos in its baby powder

Previously: The Baby Powder Trials: How Courts Deal with Inconclusive Science
Johnson & Johnson Ordered to Pay $417m in Latest Talc Cancer Case
$417 Million Talc Cancer Verdict Against Johnson & Johnson Tossed Out
Johnson & Johnson Loses New Jersey Talc Cancer Case


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  • (Score: 1) by khallow on Tuesday December 18 2018, @02:50AM (11 children)

    by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday December 18 2018, @02:50AM (#775704) Journal

    the perception of all the people who matter.

    You just said it was about perception. Those people don't matter to me.

  • (Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday December 18 2018, @01:13PM (10 children)

    by JoeMerchant (3937) on Tuesday December 18 2018, @01:13PM (#775806)

    Those people don't matter to me.

    Nor do you matter to them, or the greater course of events in the world.

    --
    🌻🌻 [google.com]
    • (Score: 1) by khallow on Tuesday December 18 2018, @03:55PM (9 children)

      by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday December 18 2018, @03:55PM (#775869) Journal

      Nor do you matter to them, or the greater course of events in the world.

      Uh huh. Sounds like you lost another SN argument again. But please tell me again how futile and irrelevant your own arguments are in the greater course of events in the world.

      • (Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday December 18 2018, @08:50PM (8 children)

        by JoeMerchant (3937) on Tuesday December 18 2018, @08:50PM (#776037)

        Not doing this for internet points, I wish you all the happiness you can muster from "winning SN arguments" in your own mind.

        --
        🌻🌻 [google.com]
        • (Score: 1) by khallow on Tuesday December 18 2018, @08:59PM (7 children)

          by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday December 18 2018, @08:59PM (#776041) Journal

          Not doing this for internet points

          Too bad. That really cuts down on the value of your ramblings.

          • (Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Wednesday December 19 2018, @12:10AM (6 children)

            by JoeMerchant (3937) on Wednesday December 19 2018, @12:10AM (#776118)

            You underestimate how much I enjoy the sound of my own typing.

            --
            🌻🌻 [google.com]
            • (Score: 1) by khallow on Wednesday December 19 2018, @03:33PM (5 children)

              by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday December 19 2018, @03:33PM (#776338) Journal

              You underestimate how much I enjoy the sound of my own typing.

              I disagree. The babble endgame is unfortunately a common outcome, but it's a long struggle to get to that point. You put too much effort in for it to be merely that. Primal things like the need to express yourself are important, but they're not everything. The higher level details matter.

              As to some of the behavior in this thread, spoiled grapes nihilism is a common response when one can't rebut criticism of their ideas. "My idea is wrong, but it doesn't matter. The public/powers-that-be/scientific community/etc will perceive things my way." The obvious rebuttal to that is that they can perceive things other ways that aren't so wrong. Discussion in places like SN is one way to help change that perception. I don't believe SN speech will move mountains by itself, but then I'm not trying that hard either. The results are good for the effort I put in.

              • (Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Thursday December 20 2018, @01:46AM (4 children)

                by JoeMerchant (3937) on Thursday December 20 2018, @01:46AM (#776623)

                My idea is wrong, but it doesn't matter

                Correct on two counts, your idea is wrong, and it does not matter.

                I do not find that you have in any way, shape or form demonstrated anything I have said to be "wrong," incorrect, or anything but incompatible with your personal world view. Thank you for sharing that view, and chalk this particular exchange up as yet another point in your favor on your personal scorecard if that makes you feel better.

                --
                🌻🌻 [google.com]
                • (Score: 1) by khallow on Thursday December 20 2018, @01:53AM (3 children)

                  by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Thursday December 20 2018, @01:53AM (#776625) Journal

                  I do not find that you have in any way, shape or form demonstrated anything I have said to be "wrong," incorrect, or anything but incompatible with your personal world view.

                  First time you've expressed that particular narrative. I like it much better than the rest because it expresses something relevant to our conversation. So what do you think supports your contention here?