Johnson & Johnson has recalled a batch of its baby powder in the US after government testing found trace amounts of asbestos in a bottle bought online.

The company recalled lot 33,000 bottles of talc, all of which had been distributed last year.

Johnson & Johnson said the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found asbestos in a bottle during routine testing and notified the company, which says it immediately began investigating.

“The FDA's testing on prior occasions, and as recently as last month, found no asbestos,” said company spokesperson Ernie Knewitz.

Johnson & Johnson says it is checking where the bottles were shipped, whether the tested bottle was counterfeit or authentic, and if the testing itself may have contaminated the sample.

Johnson & Johnson is currently fighting thousands of lawsuits in which plaintiffs claim its talc was contaminated with asbestos that caused ovarian cancer or mesothelioma.

Talc is a soft mineral often mined from deposits that can be contaminated with asbestos.

Johnson & Johnson's expert witnesses have testified on several occasions that asbestos has not been detected in thousands of tests over the last 40 years.

Still, several juries have reached multi-million-dollar verdicts against the company, though many are being appealed and several have been overturned on appeal.

The recalled lot of 650ml bottles is #22318RB.

Refunds are being offered to US consumers who have a bottle from that lot through the company's website.