The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has asked all states to stop the sale of baby shampoo marketed by Johnson & Johnson after finding harmful chemicals in it. In a letter to chief secretaries of all states, the apex child rights body has ordered a ban on the sale of the company’s baby shampoo and remove it from shops’ stocks after test results from Drug Testing Laboratory in Jaipur confirmed the presence of formaldehyde in it.
The NCPCR had sought sample test of Johnson & Johnson’s baby shampoo and talcum powder from authorities in five zones of the country – Andhra Pradesh in the south, Jharkhand in the east, Rajasthan in the west, Madhya Pradesh in central India, and Assam in the north east. The tests were ordered following reports indicated the presence of asbestos and other carcinogenic substance in the products.
The order to stop the sale was issued based on the test reports of the baby shampoo samples came in from Rajasthan. Samples from the remaining four states are still undergoing lab tests. The NCPCR has asked Rajasthan to furnish the test reports for talcum powder samples at the earliest.
Back in December, Indian drug regulator Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) had ordered Johnson and Johnson to stop manufacturing its baby powder using raw materials in two of its Indian factories until test results prove they are free of asbestos. Reports last year had claimed that the US-based company had known for decades that its baby powder contained asbestos.
