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88. The Liability (Johnson & Johnson)

A multinational corporation discontinues the sale of its famous baby powder after thousands of users allege that the product causes cancer.

Prelude: Ethicon's pelvic mesh implants feature a critical design flaw.

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Original music for Swindled is written and performed by Trevor Howard (Deformr).

88. The Liability (Johnson & Johnson)

Comments

The mesh thing reminds me of how similar mesh was, and perhaps still is, routinely used for chest wall reconstruction. Biomesh, on the other hand, works. The plastic based mesh (like the one here) is so bad that when my best friend had a chest wall resection on short notice, I couldn’t find a single good outcome for over half an hour. I felt dizzy, nauseous, like everything was far away, thinking his life was ruined and that he’d be in perpetual agony. Thank God for biomesh and the fact that the hospital he was at was one of the first and at the time only places to use it. I literally cried from relief when I got the surgical report and saw what they’d used. Thankfully my friend wasn’t aware of the absolute tactical nuke he’d dodged until after he was fully healed and experiencing zero pain.

Jane Richardson

I feel like every episode I listen to only reconfirms just how fucked we are by money hungry people/corporations. Profits over people seems to be the forever slogan.

Jo

My mother died in 2010, 9 and 1/2 yrs after her ovarian cancer diagnosis. She, too, was a life-long talcum powder user. So, I am left to wonder...

True Crime Nana

"Moisture free trust and protection "🤣 IMHO with this fabulous podcast, you gotta listen 3 times to really get the full experience 1st time: 'gasp!' 2nd time: wait wut 3rd time: [the math checks out✅️]

Acon Cernczyn

I haven't heard the episodes yet, but I was actually on a jury for one of the liability trials against J&J in 2019. The Attorney for the couple suing is an attorney who takes any and all credible mesothelioma cases against J&J. Seriously, this dud le is on a mission and it showed. He was extremely well prepared and had years of research and J&J documents outlining the tineline and what J&J knew about talc and asbestos.

Holly Keas

The real travesty that I'm surprised ACC never brought up, is that asbestos is ILLEGAL in pretty much all countries but the "good old U S of A" as ACC would put it. And this has been the case for decades now!! I found that out when I did a medical program on mesothelioma. Every other country forbids the use of asbestos in products, but political leaders in the US, who are owned by corporate America, refuse to forbid it because so many wealthy companies depend on it because it's cheap.

Michelle Hebert

Marika, don't know what country you live in but yes, we in the US have an almost pathological fear of body odors. To be fair, body powders of all kinds are not and never were marketed ONLY as a feminine hygiene product. They are known for being helpful in lots of places -- wherever moisture and bacteria might accumulate -- armpits, under the boobs, under and around the scrotum, on the bottom of the feet.

Michelle Hebert

It's amazing how people can rationalize things and very few can recognize hypocrisy in their own words, beliefs, and actions.

Michelle Hebert

Except the two situations are not remotely similar. The baby powder situation was all about a company marketing a cheap-to-produce unnecessary cosmetic product to women by making them feel bad about their bodies. The vaccine was produced in partnership with governments in response to a dire need caused by a global pandemic. The vaccines have been extensively studied by all kinds of different agencies and not found to have a lot of side effects. I agree that the fact that pharma companies, including J&J, are profiting off a vaccine whose development was largely paid for by public funding is some bullshit, and that we should opening the IP for everyone. But when you say you were right not to trust the vaccines, you need to cite your sources, because that sounds like conspiracy talk.

Alannah Small

I think it was also marketed towards African-American men as well as women, and I think possibly for related reasons. The marketing of cosmetic products all too often depends on making people feel bad about their bodies.

Alannah Small

It’s really crazy that after all this was known, People still got in line to take that experimental shot and shamed everyone who didn’t trust it (we were right btw). People never learn. Big pharma is the biggest drug cartel in the world and they couldn’t care less about you or healing anyone

Ryan Rogers

Again, when listening to this story, I keep thinking about how the existence and marketing of the product itself seems to be rooted in some kind of abhorrence of female genitalia. I believe that in my country the powder has been marketed only to be used on babies - so I find it hard to conceive how using some kind of powder would make me more hygienic, really, why would I want to do it? Maybe if one has limited access to running water and cannot wash their body often enough, and they have tendency to sweat a lot or there's particular heat. But why would they suggest that it's something needed for everyday use in any circumstances? Why for women only?

Marika Langot

You have outdone yourself, ACC. Great 2 parter. Good on their own but better together!!!

Amie Redman

Well done. Your episodes, every one, never fail to amaze and impress (horrify and enrage) me.

Sander

Thanks for sharing this. I lost my godmother to ovarian cancer in 2020. A battle she fought for years and years. She was 65, and a religious user of talcum powder. It's infuriating. I wish more people knew. Your dedication to include women's stories is stellar.

MidCityMuse

I feel like discussions of issues like these ones or the Dalkon Shield are too often restricted to female-focused spaces. I really appreciate ACC's commitment to talking seriously about women's health issues just as much as any other kind of swindle. Also, if anyone wants a whole lot more detail on the baby powder story, there is an very good podcast called Verified: Dust-Up which goes very in-depth on it. Excellent episode as always.

Alannah Small

Now watch the 2018 Netflix documentary called 'The Bleeding Edge'.

Buggs Island Lake

Corporate greed. Seriously, how do these fuckers sleep at night. Do they just block it out?Do they somehow justify it to themselves?You would think that someone high up in a global corporation would have realised by now that money does not buy happiness. Sure, you can buy a lot of crap & there is something nice about the freedom, but it does not buy happiness. When will they learn that?

Kardonay

Another excellent podcast. Thank you.

Carrie

Didn't realize until late that J&J got the prelude AND main story in both episodes. Even P&G didn't achieve that. Excellent work ACC and deformr. Great music and topic just in time for <s>this corporate nightmare</s> Halloween.

Alan

This is the maddest one of these episodes has made me. Definitely going to check out the book you mentioned

Ashlyn J

It took me a while to remember that this was a part 2 episode

Kelly Conceição

Oh you are COMING for them

geneva marie

Yay!!! Thanks for making my Saturday morning ♥️

Jessica Vasquez

Roll it

Kingfisher


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