The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper S01E04 - Shaken: Baby Powder on Trial

CNN Chief Investigative Correspondent and Anchor Pamela Brown investigates claims made by some of the thousands of women and men who say that Johnson & Johnson's now-discontinued talc baby powder is responsible for their cancers. 

Johnson & Johnson is an American institution. The corporate behemoth, worth more than 400 billion dollars, is the company behind Tylenol, Band-Aid, and Neutrogena, which can all be found in homes nationwide. Marketed both for use by children and adults, Johnson & Johnson's baby powder became one of the company's most iconic products. When allegations arose that the talc baby powder contained traces of cancerous asbestos, Johnson & Johnson vehemently denied those claims. They have consistently cited the safety of their product and said that it does not contain asbestos or cause cancer. Despite this, based on those allegations, there are nearly 40,000 lawsuits against Johnson & Johnson.

In this investigation, Brown hears the powerful stories of several women suing Johnson & Johnson following their cancer diagnoses and speaks with attorneys on both sides of the case – plaintiffs' attorney Jerome Block and attorney for Johnson & Johnson Allison Brown. She also interviews Senator Dick Durbin, Chair of the Senate Judiciary, on Johnson & Johnson's attempt to create a subsidiary for its talc liabilities and limit its exposure to litigation through bankruptcy court.