Talcum Powder Cases Appoint Missouri Special Master

A special master has been appointed to help expedite proceedings related to lawsuits alleging a link between talcum powder and ovarian cancer in Missouri.

Wednesday, June 10, 2015 - Attorneys in St. Louis working on lawsuits concerning the link between ovarian cancer and the use of talcum powder recently appointed a Special Master in connection with the cases currently pending in the state of Missouri. The lawsuits allege a connection between baby powder and ovarian cancer supported by talcum powder cancer research presented by the plaintiffs and are preparing for jury trials to begin in December of 2015.

Glenn Allen Norton was selected to serve as Special Master in May for the baby powder cases for Missouri. The Special Master's position is one that is appointed when complex litigation arises and brings with it the need for an attorney to be designated with the role, which is intended to promote efficiency. It is not a step that must be taken in lawsuits such as the talcum powder case, but it is a move commonly taken in product liability lawsuits.

The talcum powder lawsuits stem from research that was conducted revealing a link between talcum and baby powders and ovarian cancer. Studies supporting the link between talcum powder and ovarian cancer have a track record that reaches into the 1970's, however the substances have remained unregulated by the FDA. These studies have pegged the approximate increase in risk of ovarian cancer for women who use talcum powder at roughly 35 percent.

The connection between baby powders and cancer goes back decades. British researchers discovered talcum powder embedded in ovarian tumors in 1971. Early discoveries of cancer-causing particles in talcum powders were discovered as a result of research conducted at the Mount Sinai Hospital in New York in 1976 when two types of asbestos were found in products tested. Currently, there are more than a dozen studies that demonstrate a correlation between ovarian cancer and talcum powder use.

A 1994 call by the Cancer Prevention Coalition for the FDA to regulate talcum powder use was met with deaf ears. The government agency claimed that warnings related to the connection between cancer and talcum powder needed stronger evidence in order to be enforced. Johnson & Johnson has thus far refused to apply a warning to their talcum powder products voluntarily.

The plaintiffs in the talcum powder lawsuits are comprised of women who have contracted ovarian cancer and survived, as well as families representing women who died as a result of ovarian cancer believed to have been contracted from the powder.

The defendants in the talcum powder lawsuits are headlined by pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson. The plaintiffs claim that the defendants knew of the risks involved with their product's connection to ovarian cancer but failed to properly warn customers of those dangers. Plaintiffs also allege that because of the research supporting the link between talcum powder and ovarian cancer the defendants were privy to, they actively worked to keep the powder from becoming regulated.

There are roughly 700 talcum powder lawsuits pending currently, with most of them located in St. Louis and New Jersey. That number is expected to continue to rise as more information on the product's link with ovarian cancer becomes public.

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