Are Baby Powder Cancer Product Warning Labels Still Relevant
Smartphones and social media websites like Reddit, Facebook, and Twitter have changed the way people are alerted to consumer dangers
Tuesday, December 11, 2018 - Back in the day, a country's official government health protection agency could issue a product safety alert and it would barely get a mention in the press of neighboring countries, let alone on other continents or in other nations. Today, however, with the advent of smartphones and "social media," information, inaccurate as it may be, is spread and decimated instantly across every square inch of the globe. Picture thousands of people walking the streets or riding the Metros in New York City, London, or Bangkok, heads down looking intently at their smartphones reading the latest trending news.
When a jury awarded 22 women $4.69 billion dollars nearly every major news website and health blog ran the story. It should come as no surprise to anyone that talc, the soft, smooth, absorbent, powdery substance and the key ingredient in Johnson's Baby Powder has been accused of failing to warn the public that talc, as the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) says, is "probably carcinogenic." Women that are suffering from or the estates of those who have died from ovarian cancer have hired baby powder cancer lawyers and successfully sued JNJ winning hundreds of millions of dollars in damages. The jury awards compensated the women for their pecuniary damages such as medical-related expenses, lost wages etc. Jurys also levied multi-million dollar damages for a plaintiff's pain and suffering in order to penalize JNJ for knowing about talc's cancer risks and failing to warn consumers.
Enormous, media-attention grabbing verdicts alerted the public to think twice before using baby powder to dust their baby's bottom or to use the product on themselves to feel and smell better. And now, Health Canada, the Canadian version of the US Department of Health, has issued the following a warning to alert Canadians that talcum powder like that found in Johnson's Baby Powder may cause ovarian cancer and lung damage. The Health Canada statement on talc reads as follows: "inhalation exposure to loose powder products containing talc such as baby, body, face and foot powders may cause non-cancerous lung effects such as coughing, breathing difficulties, and decreased lung function." To further clarify an reinforce the official opinion of the Canadian government, David Morin, director general of Health Canada's safe environments directorate stated to CBC News: "When you inhale talc, the fine talc particles will get lodged inside of the lung, and over time there's a cumulative effect associated with that."
Health Canada's talcum powder cancer findings are sure to immediately effect baby powder sales in other countries especially in the neighboring United States. In addition to the multi-billion dollar jury verdicts awarded to plaintiffs suing JNJ upwards of 10,000 additional cases have been filed by women and men that have ovarian or lung cancer, respectively. If you are concerned and want to follow along with the latest findings of talcum powder cancer, go to Google.com and place an email alert for the topic Johnson's Baby Powder cancer. Do not forget to update your Facebook, Reddit, and Twitter feeds accordingly.
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