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The Lancet retracts half-century-old unsigned commentary on talc for undisclosed industry ties
https://retractionwatch.com/2026/03/25/lancet-retraction-commentary-talc-powder-johnson-johnson-industry-consultant/Retraction Watch -- Tracking retractions as a window into the scientific process
The Lancet has retracted a 49-year-old unsigned commentary on the safety of cosmetic talc after two researchers discovered the author was a paid consultant to Johnson & Johnson, at the time a leading producer of talc products.
The anonymous commentary has been used for decades by corporate defense attorneys to claim scientific proof of talc products’ safety, according to critics. But one such attorney says the paper “would not be relied upon to any significant degree.â€Â
Published in 1977, the article argued against government-mandated regulatory testing for asbestos in cosmetic talc. Around that time, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was considering such monitoring, a task that ultimately became the responsibility of cosmetics companies.
. . .
The 49 years it took between publication and retraction of this article isn't a record -- a paper retracted 80 years after it was published holds that distinction -- but it is among the top five. It sits between the 2020 retraction of a 70-year-old paper on attitudes about homosexuality and last year's retraction of a 46-year-old paper on IQ tests, originally published in 1978. A total of 71 articles published in the 1970s have been retracted, according to our database.
The anonymous commentary has been used for decades by corporate defense attorneys to claim scientific proof of talc products’ safety, according to critics. But one such attorney says the paper “would not be relied upon to any significant degree.â€Â
Published in 1977, the article argued against government-mandated regulatory testing for asbestos in cosmetic talc. Around that time, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was considering such monitoring, a task that ultimately became the responsibility of cosmetics companies.
. . .
The 49 years it took between publication and retraction of this article isn't a record -- a paper retracted 80 years after it was published holds that distinction -- but it is among the top five. It sits between the 2020 retraction of a 70-year-old paper on attitudes about homosexuality and last year's retraction of a 46-year-old paper on IQ tests, originally published in 1978. A total of 71 articles published in the 1970s have been retracted, according to our database.