In a viral TikTok posted on Jan. 14, @codenamekrnd says that they used to work for an executive who worked as the “head of plastics” for a corporation they cheekily masked as “Rohnson & Rohnson.” They claim this executive banned plastics from the home because of first-hand knowledge of their toxicity.
After allegedly bringing a plastic container of food into the boss’ house, the boss allegedly said that “BPA free”—a moniker that denotes that plastic doesn’t contain bisphenol A, which is considered toxic—”means we replaced it with a chemical equally or more toxic that just hasn’t been banned yet.”
The TikToker is almost surely talking about Johnson and Johnson.
“Do with that information what you will,” the TikToker says in their video. “But I do not use plastics in my home when I can help it.”
@codenamekrnd said that they can only share this story because they no longer work for this executive. They did not show their face in the video out of fear of a “lawsuit.” The TikToker claims that their boss also said “BPA-free means nothing.”
“Don’t eat off plastic ever,” they wrote in the video’s caption. “And don’t use it period whenever possible.”
The TikToker’s original video, which got 3 million views, is not the first time Johnson & Johnson has been supposedly exposed for having toxins in its products. Both Time and Scientific American reported that toxins like formaldehyde have been found in the company’s baby and personal care products.
@codenamekrnd posted another video crowdsourcing for ways to reduce plastic use in one’s life. Commenters suggested buying inexpensive glass containers at the dollar store, or using bamboo and/or metal containers.
Many commenters on @codenamekrnd’s Tiktok wanted to learn more.
“So what are the alternatives? Everything comes in plastic,” commented @spacei76.
“No way someone’s out here living in 2022 with zero plastic in their whole house,” wrote @kellyboats.
“There’s NO way around it!” commented @hannz0__. “From medicine bottles, baggies, chip bags, juice bottles, baby bottles, credit cards, candy bags, shopping bags…”
Others attempted to confirm or deny the information shared in @codenamekrnd’s TikTok.
“I work in the plastic industry and I can confirm this is incorrect,” commented @catt_317.
“This is completely true. BPA became a hot topic issue around 2010-2012,” wrote @wombat_chronicles. “It’s been replaced by BPS, and convo regarding its safety has been smothered.”
BPS is bisphenol S, which has been introduced as a safer alternative in the industry. According to the National Library of Medicine, “investigations on the toxicity and mechanisms of BPS remain limited.” In a follow-up article from 2020, the National Library of Medicines notes:
In recent years, bisphenol analogues such as bisphenol S (BPS) have come to replace bisphenol A in food packaging and food containers, since bisphenol A (BPA) has been shown to leach into food and water, causing numerous negative health effects. Unfortunately, little or no research was done to determine the safety of these BPA-free products before they were marketed to the public as a healthier alternative. The latest studies have shown that some of these bisphenol analogues may be even more harmful than the original BPA in some situations.
The Daily Dot has reached out to @codenamekrnd and Johnson & Johnson via email.
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