—Products include Johnson’s Baby Powder and Shower to Shower.
On Monday, February 22nd, a jury in St. Louis just ordered Johnson and Johnson to pay $72 million dollars to a woman who claimed the company’s talcum powder based products led to her developing ovarian cancer. Jackie Fox’s case is the first to hold manufacturer Johnson and Johnson responsible and award damages for failing to warn consumers about the dangers of talc– dangers which have been known to Johnson and Johnson and the industry in general since the early 70’s. Unfortunately, Jackie passed away last year from her cancer; her family litigated the case and made sure her claims were heard. The jury in this case heard her loud and clear, as the award is comprised of $10 million in compensatory damages and $62 million in punitive damages.
Since the early 1970’s, there have been dozens of studies which concluded that the regular use of talc for genital hygiene can cause ovarian cancer. A June 2013 study published by the journal Cancer Prevention Research showed an increased risk of ovarian cancer of between 20 and 30 percent for women who used talcum powder for intimate personal hygiene.
Johnson and Johnson was aware of research that identified this serious side effect for its talc containing products, yet the company has characterized the research as “inconclusive.” To date, despite the mounting evidence of serious health affects with genital use of talcum powder, Johnson and Johnson has put no warning or label of any kind on its talc products.
Doctors and experts have concluded that talc is the culprit in these cases by examining the cancer tumors themselves, which are actually found to contain talc particles. In a recent case, one of those experts, Dr. Daniel Cramer of Harvard University (who has studied the issue for over 30 years) stated that talcum powder was likely a contributing factor in 10,000 cases of ovarian cancer every year.
If you or a family member has been diagnosed with ovarian cancer and have a history of using talcum powder for genital hygiene, either through direct dusting or the use of tampons or sanitary pads dusted in talcum powder, you may have legal grounds to file a talcum powder cancer lawsuit. To discuss your situation in detail with an attorney and to learn about baby powder cancer lawsuit statutes of limitations in your state, please contact the lawyers at Lomurro Law or complete our online contact form. One of our attorneys handling talcum powder lawsuits will contact you promptly. There is never any charge for a consultation and case review.