Justice recalls kids makeup containing asbestos

An ABC11 Troubleshooter investigation by our sister station WTVD prompted a national voluntary recall involving makeup specifically made for children and teens. The popular retailer Justice recalled eight different Just Shine makeup products because of asbestos concerns.

In July, ABC11 first told you about those asbestos concerns.

During our investigation, we paid the lab Scientific Analytical Institute in Greensboro to test several samples of children's makeup. The results showed Tremolite asbestos fibers in Justice's "Just Shine Shimmer Powder.

Sean Fitzgerald, the Director of Research and Analytical Services at the lab said the results for the "Just Shine Shimmer Powder" were alarming.

These are pictures of the Tremolite asbestos fibers Fitzgerald says his lab found:

"Fibers like this get into your breathing zone, and when you inhale, these fibers can get into the lung and go to the very bottom of the lung, and that is exactly where you have the greatest likelihood of asbestos to cause disease," Fitzgerald said.

Once we provided Justice with our test results, Justice told us they stopped the sale of the product and began an independent investigation.

RETAILER DISPUTES OUR FINDINGS

On July 19, Justice reached out to ABC11 and issued another statement disputing our report saying in part, "A third party ISO-certified testing lab concluded there is no asbestos in our Just Shine Shimmer Powder product. Reports suggesting that the product contains asbestos are simply inaccurate. As part of our investigation and out of abundance of caution we found it necessary to quickly provide answers to our customers about our product."

On July 19, the retailer also alerted customers on its Facebook page about its findings.

We asked Justice to provide us its test results and why it claimed our lab results confirming asbestos are inaccurate, but the company did not provide further comment.

MORE TESTING, MORE ASBESTOS

We were confident in our test results, so we paid two different ISO-certified labs to test our Just Shine Shimmer Powder.

Both labs - CEI in Cary and MVA Scientific Consultants in Atlanta - confirmed asbestos in our Just Shine Shimmer Powder.

According to the results, MVA Scientific Consultants found 76 million Tremolite asbestos fibers per gram in the sample of the "Just Shine Shimmer Powder" it tested. The product has a net weight of 10 grams.

I provided Justice with the updated test results from CEI and MVA Scientific Consultants confirming the asbestos and that is when a representative directed me to the company website, walking me through the process of how to find the recalled information.

In a statement on its website, Justice claims in part,

"Out of an abundance of caution, Justice has now instituted a voluntary recall of our Just Shine Shimmer Powder. This recall has been initiated due to the reported presence of asbestos in tested samples of the Just Shine Shimmer Powder product, which Justice sold from March through June 2017. During our testing process, one set of laboratory tests showed no evidence of asbestos. A second round of testing revealed trace amounts of asbestos.

To date, Justice is not aware of any adverse reactions, injuries or illness caused by the possible presence of asbestos in the recalled products. Based upon the available information, the product also is not likely to cause any adverse consequences. However, inhalation of asbestos over time has been linked to serious adverse health consequences. Justice has removed the product from sale and asks customers who have the product to stop using it. In addition, we have ended sale of and recalled all eight products which were supplied by the vendor who provided the Just Shine Shimmer Powder product. Justice has ended its relationship with that vendor."

Justice goes on to state that it is working with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Health Canada during this voluntary recall.

Besides posting the information on its website, a representative also claimed there were signs posted in stores alerting customers of the recall.

The FDA's website states:

"Asbestos is also a naturally occurring silicate mineral, but with a different crystal structure. Both talc and asbestos are naturally occurring minerals that may be found in close proximity in the earth. Unlike talc, however, asbestos is a known carcinogen. For this reason, FDA considers it unacceptable for cosmetic talc to be contaminated with asbestos."

Justice also stated that if you have this product, you can return it for a full refund.