I recently became a first-time father, needless to say, a large part of my day (and night) is spent making sure my child is safe and comfortable.

A few months before the birth of my child, I picked up a yellow bottle of Johnson’s Baby Shampoo at a supermarket.

The disdainful look of disapproval on my pregnant wife’s face caught me by surprise.

“We are not buying any Johnson & Johnson products for our child,” she said firmly.

“But why?” I asked.

“Because Johnson & Johnson baby products are linked to cancer. All the new mothers in Pakistan are talking about it online in pregnancy groups.”

“What?” I mumbled in disbelief.

Like millions across the world, for the longest time, I have reposed complete trust in Johnson & Johnson.

Why wouldn't I? The brand has a reputation for making baby products that are "exceptionally pure and safe" since the 80s. And has over the years, increasingly promoted "family usage".

In fact, my mother used their honey gold shampoo for her children.

To my utter shock, I learned that this particular Johnson’s Baby Shampoo carried two chemicals strongly suspected of being carcinogens (a substance capable of causing cancer in living tissue).

The first was the ether, 1,4-dioxane, which, at certain exposure levels, can damage the liver, kidneys, and the central nervous system. It is also classified by the US Environmental Protection Agency as a ‘probable carcinogen’. They state the effects of 1,4-dioxane on human health as;

“Acute (short-term) inhalation exposure to high levels of 1,4-dioxane has caused vertigo, drowsiness, headache, anorexia and irritation of the eyes, nose, throat, and lungs in humans. It may also irritate the skin. Damage to the liver and kidneys has been observed in rats chronically (long-term) exposed in their drinking water.”

The second was formaldehyde, released naturally over time by the quaternium-15 chemical found inside the shampoo.

According to the National Cancer Institute, formaldehyde has a rather unhealthy relationship with cancer.

“In 1980, laboratory studies showed that exposure to formaldehyde could cause nasal cancer in rats. This finding raised the question of whether formaldehyde exposure could also cause cancer in humans. In 1987, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) classified formaldehyde as a probable human carcinogen under conditions of unusually high or prolonged exposure (1). Since that time, some studies of humans have suggested that formaldehyde exposure is associated with certain types of cancer. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classifies formaldehyde as a human carcinogen.”

Considering how these studies are not recent, the only conclusion is that Johnson & Johnson knowingly sold baby products that could increase the likelihood of developing cancer.

Just to be clear, formaldehyde is found in certain fruits, floor products, toothpaste, wrinkle-free clothing, and cosmetics.

See: Pakistani scientist develops device to enable early cancer detection

According to The New York Times, Johnson & Johnson executives say a person is exposed to more formaldehyde from an apple than ‘15 bottles of baby shampoo’. They also claim, as backed by an independent study, that the 1,4-dioxane levels are low in their shampoos.

While this could be true, newborn babies do not eat apples.

Parents worldwide have relied on the safety of Johnson & Johnson products for their children for decades.

At a vulnerable time, when babies have more cartilage than bone, and are developing hearing, eyesight, sense of smell, and more, it is criminal that Johnson & Johnson has been knowingly manufacturing carcinogenic products — and leading the baby care market the whole while.

Perhaps we can’t avoid formaldehyde when it occurs naturally in certain foods, but we can certainly avoid it in cosmetic products.

As reports suggest, cumulative exposure to these chemicals can tip the balance in favour of the deadly disease, and prolonged exposure to formaldehyde has been linked with leukemia and lung cancer.

Johnson & Johnson has been gambling with our children’s health.

Under mounting pressure, Johnson & Johnson has, at great expense, removed these chemicals from its products through years of hard work in laboratories, even though it maintains that the effects of these products are overrated. Some experts have agreed with Johnson & Johnson’s stance.

But if these chemicals are as 'harmless' as they claim, why are they ironing them out now?

Appallingly, Johnson & Johnson only took action when it began to affect their sales after a PR nightmare.

Unfortunately, while the health company is 'cleaning up' its baby products, its adult products continue to be suspect.

On Feb 24, Johnson & Johnson was ordered to pay $72 million to the family of an American woman who died from ovarian cancer after using their talcum powder for the better part of her life.

Take a look: A silent, stealth killer of women

The case is being widely discussed in Pakistan, with cancer survivors, as well as family members of those left behind shaken.

For years, big companies — such as those from the tobacco, soft drink, and fast food industries — have lied to consumers about the harmful nature of their products. This has created an atmosphere of mistrust, resulting in smarter consumers who demand changes.

As Cathy Salerno of Johnson & Johnson says, buyers in 1999 preferred to be given less details about the products they were using, placing their trust in the company.

“They’re telling us the opposite now.”

For the sake of ourselves and our children, we have been forced to take a greater interest in the chemical composition of the things we use.

The only sort of health the big companies care about is monetary, and they won’t listen unless we protest with our wallets.