Johnson & Johnson faces push to force global ban on talc baby powder sales

Move to hold shareholder vote follows withdrawal of product in US and Canada and lawsuits alleging link to cancer cases

The healthcare company Johnson & Johnson is facing an attempt to force a shareholder vote to halt its sales of talc-based baby powder across the world, including the UK, amid concerns over alleged links to cancer.

Johnson & Johnson (J&J) withdrew its talc-based baby powder from sale in the US and Canada in 2020. Sales of baby powder had dropped after US regulators detected carcinogenic chrysotile fibres, a type of asbestos, in a sample.