Johnsons Baby Powder and Ovarian Cancer Risk

Juries in the United State have awarded hundreds of millions of dollars in punitive damages to plaintiffs claiming baby powder causes cancer

Thursday, May 3, 2018 - Johnson & Johnson earns billions of dollars every year selling baby powder, other cosmetics and pharmaceuticals and medical devices. For the last 100 years, millions of women, especially African American women, have used Johnson's Baby Powder and Shower to Shower as part of their everyday regimen of feminine hygiene. "A sprinkle a day helps keep odors away," was the slogan, shaming women into thinking that they smelled poorly if they failed to use the powders and sprays every day.

Although the product's label states that it is for "external use only," sprinkling it on the genital area can cause particles to accidentally work their way into the vagina, up through the fallopian tubed and become lodged in the ovaries. In 1971 women with Ovarian cancer were studied and scientists discovered talc particles in their ovarian tumors. Today over 20,000 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer every year and more than half of them will die. To date around 6500 women who are suffering from ovarian cancer, or the loved ones of those who have died from the disease, are represented by a Johnsons Baby Powder cancer attorney, and have filed a claim against Johnson & Johnson holding them responsible for their negligence in failing to warn consumers.

Johnson & Johnson has already lost several cases brought against them by women for their ovarian cancer and have been forced to pay hundreds of millions of dollars in damages. In Missouri, four plaintiffs have been awarded total compensatory and punitive damages of over $300 million dollars. A California woman was recently awarded $417 million, $340 million of which was punitive damages. That particular verdict was overturned as being excessive and a new trial has been scheduled.

While talc has always been considered a dangerous substance it has never been officially labeled as carcinogenic. Defendants have argued that there is insufficient science to conclude that talc causes cancer, however, one thing is certain. Talc is mined in Chinese mines and is done so in close proximity to asbestos, a substance that has been proven be carcinogenic. Cross contamination is a definite possibility and Johnson & Johnson internal memos revealed at trial show that the company was aware in the late 1960's that their talc could also contain asbestos. Recently, in April of 2018, a jury in New Jersey ruled against Johnson & Johnson and ordered them and another company, their talc supplier Imerys Inc., to pay $37 million to a plaintiff claiming its talc-based products including Johnson's Baby Powder contain cancer-causing asbestos that caused his mesothelioma.

There are studies both pro and con pertaining to whether or not Johnson's Baby powder containing talc is responsible for causing ovarian cancer, and the enormous punitive awards have brought public attention to the possibility. Tens of thousands of women filing adverse event reports alleging that Johnson's baby powder caused their ovarian cancer have prompted the FDA's Office of Women's Health to conclude that, according to The Washington Post, "talc's effects on female genital system tissues have not been adequately investigated."

Information provided by TalcumPowderCancerLawsuit.com, a website devoted to providing news about talcum powder ovarian cancer lawsuits, as well as medical research and findings.