Johnson & Johnson to replace talc-based powder with cornstarch
图片来源，路透社
强生公司（J&J公司）将从明年起停止在全球范围内生产和销售其基于滑石粉的婴儿爽身粉。
Johnson & Johnson (J&J) will stop making and selling its talc-based baby powder around the world from next year.
该公告是在这家医疗保健巨头结束该产品在美国销售两年多之后发布的。
The announcement comes more than two years after the healthcare giant ended sales of the product in the US.
强生公司面临数以万计的妇女诉讼，她们声称其滑石粉含有石棉，导致她们患上卵巢癌。
J&J faces tens of thousands of lawsuits from women who allege its talcum powder contained asbestos and caused them to develop ovarian cancer.
但该公司重申了其观点，即数十年的独立研究表明，该产品可以安全使用。
But the company reiterated its view that decades of independent research shows the product is safe to use.
强生在一份声明中说. “作为全球产品组合评估的一部分，我们已经做出了转型为全玉米淀粉配方婴儿爽身粉产品的商业决定。
"As part of a worldwide portfolio assessment, we have made the commercial decision to transition to an all cornstarch-based baby powder portfolio," it said in a statement.
该公司补充说，基于玉米淀粉的婴儿爽身粉已经在世界各国销售。
The firm added that cornstarch-based baby powder is already sold in countries around the world.
与此同时，强生公司重申了其立场，即其婴儿爽身粉可以安全使用：“我们对护肤用滑石粉安全性的立场保持不变。
At the same time J&J reiterated its position that its baby powder is safe to use: "Our position on the safety of our cosmetic talc remains unchanged."
它说：“我们坚定地支持世界各地医学专家数十年的独立科学分析，这些分析证实基于滑石粉的强生婴儿爽身粉是安全的，不含石棉，也不会致癌。”
"We stand firmly behind the decades of independent scientific analysis by medical experts around the world that confirms talc-based Johnson's baby powder is safe, does not contain asbestos, and does not cause cancer," it said.
2020年，强生公司表示将停止在美国和加拿大销售滑石粉爽身粉，因为在一些法律案件中，被它所谓的关于该产品安全性的“错误信息”所累，该爽身粉的市场需求已经下降。
In 2020, J&J said it would stop selling its talc baby powder in the US and Canada because demand had fallen in the wake of what it called "misinformation" about the product's safety amid a number of legal cases.
当时，该公司表示将继续在英国和世界其他地区销售其基于滑石粉的婴儿爽身粉。
At the time the firm said it would continue to sell its talc-based baby powder in the UK and the rest of the world.
该公司面临消费者及其幸存者的诉讼，他们声称强生滑石粉产品由于石棉污染而导致癌症。
The company faces lawsuits from consumers and their survivors who claim J&J's talc products caused cancer due to contamination with asbestos.
滑石是从地球上开采出来的，在靠近石棉的接缝中被发现，石棉是一种已知会导致癌症的材料。
Talc is mined from the earth and is found in seams close to that of asbestos, which is a material known to cause cancer.
路透社2018年的一项调查声称，强生几十年来一直知道其滑石粉产品中存在石棉。
A 2018 investigation by the Reuters news agency claimed that J&J knew for decades that asbestos was present in its talc products.
路透社称，公司内部记录、审判证词和其他证据表明，至少从1971年到2000年代初，强生滑石粉和成品粉末有时对少量石棉呈阳性反应。
Reuters said that internal company records, trial testimony and other evidence showed that from at least 1971 to the early 2000s, J&J's raw talc and finished powders sometimes tested positive for small amounts of asbestos.
而对法庭，媒体报道和美国立法者提出的石棉污染证据，该公司一再否认这些指控。
In response to evidence of asbestos contamination presented in court rooms, media reports and to US lawmakers, the firm has repeatedly denied the allegations.
十月份，强生公司成立了一家子公司LTL Management，将其滑石粉索赔转让给它。它后来将其破产，暂停了未决诉讼。
In October, J&J created a subsidiary, LTL Management, assigning its talc claims to it. It later placed it into bankruptcy, which paused the pending lawsuits.
在申请破产之前，该公司在判决和和解方面面临35亿美元（28.7亿英镑）的成本，其中22名女性被判可获赔超过20亿美元。
Before the bankruptcy filing, the company faced costs from $3.5bn (£2.87bn) in verdicts and settlements, including one in which 22 women were awarded a judgement of more than $2bn.
今年4月，一项要求停止全球销售含滑石粉的爽身粉的股东提案流产了。
In April, a shareholder proposal calling for an end to global sales of the talc baby powder failed.
强生的婴儿爽身粉已经销售了近130年，并成为该公司家庭友好型形象的象征。
Johnson's Baby Powder has been been sold for almost 130 years and became a symbol of the company's family-friendly image.
婴儿爽身粉用于预防尿布疹和化妆品用途，包括用作干洗洗发水。
Baby powder is used for preventing nappy rash and for cosmetic uses, including as a dry shampoo.
资料来源 BBC商业记者 Peter Hoskins 翻译：Bbl
--------------------- 完 --------------------
本号致力于打造双语阅读平台, 英语母语人士原版文章中英对照,易于理解,帮助提高英语读写能力,拓宽眼界,收获满满正能量.
喜欢请点赞关注和分享,您的支持是我们前进的动力!