Talcum Powder Cancer Attorney
Women nationwide are pursuing product liability lawsuits against Johnson & Johnson. Talcum powder cancer lawsuits allege that talc makers have withheld information for decades about the link between talcum powder and ovarian cancer. Three juries have found that J&J failed to warn women about the link between talcum powder and ovarian cancer. Our law firm is handling such cases.
Baby Powder Linked to Ovarian Cancer
Evidence has increasingly emerged linking ovarian cancer risk with talcum powder. Talcum powder may migrate through the vagina to the uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries. Talc has been found within some ovarian tumors diagnosed among regular users of Johnson’s Baby Powder or Shower-to-Shower products.
Ms. Harlan’s complaint is one of several ovarian cancer lawsuits filed over talcum powder. Some experts have suggested talc may be responsible for thousands of new cancer cases each year. Ms. Harlan is pursuing claims for strict liability, failure to warn, negligence, breach of warranty and civil conspiracy, seeking both compensatory and punitive damages.
Call us at (888) 923-7001 or reach out online for a free consultation.
We may file or settle a claim individually or as part of a group on a case-by-case basis.
Whether your claim is filed individually or as part of a group fighting the same defendant, our goal is always to provide each of our clients with individual attention.
Talcum Powder Litigation
All the complaints involve similar allegations, claiming talc makers knew or should have known about the link between talc and ovarian cancer for decades, yet continued to market the products for feminine hygiene, while failing to provide warnings for women or medical professionals. According to the lawsuits, Johnson’s Baby Powder warnings have indicated only that users should avoid contact with the eyes and keep the powder away from the faces of children to avoid inhalation. Plaintiffs maintain evidence about the ovarian cancer risk with talcum powder has been available to the makers for decades. They allege studies published back in the 1970s found evidence of talc embedded in ovarian tumors.
Talc a Possible Carcinogen According to the World Health Organization
The International Agency for Research on Cancer, which is part of the World Health Organization, has classified genital use of talc powder as a “possible carcinogen.” The American Cancer Society has indicated women concerned about the talcum powder cancer risk may want to avoid or limit use, or consider using cornstarch-based products instead.
Three Talcum-Mesothelioma Verdicts
Three juries in the U.S. have awarded verdicts to three different people who testified that they were diagnosed with mesothelioma after being exposed to asbestos.
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$18 Million Talc-Meso Cancer Verdict
In October 2016, a jury awarded a 68-year-old California man $18 million for a talc-meso lawsuit. The man was diagnosed with mesothelioma in May 2015. He blamed talcum powder used in his father’s barber shop. His exposure began in 1948, he testified, when he visited his father’s barber shop in Pasadena, Calif. He said he also used talcum powder for several years afterwards. The latency period for mesothelioma from asbestos exposure is well known to be 30-40 years, which coincided with the man’s first exposure.
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$12.4 Million Talc-Meso Cancer VerdictIn April 2015, a 73-year-old California woman won a $12.4 million verdict against Colgate-Palmolive. The woman was diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2000. She testified that she used talcum powder from 1961 to 1974. The jury agreed that she developed mesothelioma from asbestos in the company’s Cashmere Bouquet talcum powder. Federal laws didn’t require talcum products to be asbestos free until 1973.
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$1.6 Million Talc-Meso Cancer VerdictIn Nov. 2013, a 12-person jury awarded $1.6 million to a New Jersey man who had developed mesothelioma from his father’s work clothes. His father had worked at Old Spice and Desert Flower plant. This was only one of many cases in which a person contracted mesothelioma from clothing.
What Is Talc?
Talc is one of the world’s softest minerals. It has been mined from deposits interwoven with asbestos fibers. Asbestos causes mesothelioma, a cancer that is often terminal.
Talcum Powder Is Linked to Ovarian Cancer
The American Cancer Society, the World Health Organization and other governing health agencies have raised concerns about using baby powder and body powder products for feminine hygiene that contains talc; they say it may put women at increased risk of ovarian cancer.
Talcum powder products used in or near the vaginal area can migrate through the Fallopian tubes to the ovaries, causing irritation that could lead to ovarian cancer. Some health experts have estimated that talcum powder products cause some 10% of ovarian cancer cases and deaths in the country. Talc particles have repeatedly been found in cancerous ovaries.
Talcum Cancer Evidence
Evidence has shown that makers of talcum powder containing products have known about the health risks of using talcum powder for decades. Nevertheless, Johnson & Johnson and other companies who make talcum baby powder have failed to warn consumers about the potential cancer risks they may face from using these products. This is why J&J and others face talcum powder cancer litigation.
Cancer Prevention Research Study
A study published in the medical journal Cancer Prevention Research in June 2013 said women who use genital powder containing talc may face a 20% to 30% higher risk of ovarian cancer than those who do not use talc. The overall risk still remains small, but women have expressed concerns about why further research has not been done by manufacturers, and why warnings have not been given about the possible health risks.
Talcum-Mesothelioma Cancer Lawsuit
Talcum powder with asbestos can cause mesothelioma cancer. Our law firm is handling lawsuits in which someone developed mesothelioma after asbestos exposure through talcum powder. The latency period for these cases can be 30-40 years. If you or someone you love developed mesothelioma after asbestos exposure through talcum powder, you may have a talcum-mesothelioma cancer lawsuit.
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J&J Baby Powder, Shower-to-Shower & MoreFor decades, thousands of women have applied talcum powder directly to genital areas or to sanitary napkins, diaphragms, or condoms. Talc-containing products used for personal hygiene include Johnson’s Baby Powder, Shower to Shower by Valeant Pharmaceuticals, and Baby Magic Baby Powder.
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J&J Failed to Warn of Talc Cancer Link, Three Juries SayThree juries so far have found that Johnson & Johnson failed to warn women of the link between talcum powder and ovarian cancer. A jury in South Dakota found for a woman plaintiff in October 2013 in the first talcum powder cancer trial, citing J&J for failure to warn. The jury did not award damages in that trial, likely because the woman’s cancer had been in remission for six years. The woman, who testified that she had applied the powder to her genital area for some 32 years, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in December 2006 when she was 49.
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$72 Million Talc Cancer Verdict
In the second Johnson & Johnson talcum powder lawsuit to go to trial, the jury awarded the survivors of a woman $72 million. A St. Louis jury on Feb. 25, 2016 agreed that the woman had died of ovarian cancer as a result of her long-term use of Johnson & Johnson talcum powder. The jury awarded $10 million in compensatory damages and $62 million in punitives, a clear message when a jury wants to punish a defendant for its conduct. The woman died in 2015 after using Johnson & Johnson baby powder and another talc-based product for many years.
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$55 Million Talc Cancer Verdict
The third J&J talcum cancer trial resulted in a $55 million verdict against the company, as that jury also found that J&J failed to warn the plaintiff of an talc powder/ovarian cancer link.
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10,000 Ovarian Cancer Cases Per Year from Talc?
A South Dakota jury in Oct. 2013 found sufficient evidence was presented to establish a link between Johnson Shower-to-Shower body powder and ovarian cancer developed by a 56-year-old woman who had used the product for decades. During the trial, Harvard University’s Daniel Cramer testified that he has been looking into the links between talc and ovarian cancer for 30 years, and suggested that talcum powder may cause 10,000 cases of ovarian cancer every year.
A baby powder class action lawsuit was filed in California in April 2015. It seeks to force Johnson & Johnson to properly warn consumers about the potential health risks, including a significantly increased risk of ovarian cancer. Plaintiffs in the class action allege the maker has known for decades about the risk of ovarian cancer, yet failed to properly warn women and the medical community.
Free Legal Consultation
Anyone diagnosed with ovarian cancer after using talc for feminine hygiene is urged to call us at (888) 923-7001 for a free legal consultation. We are handling talcum powder ovarian cancer cases nationwide.