Women on Alert for Talcum Powder Cancer
When a St. Louis jury announced $72 million in damages to resolve a baby powder ovarian cancer lawsuit, women around the nation paid attention; now, baby powder users everywhere are on alert for the symptoms of ovarian cancer from talcum powder.
Friday, March 18, 2016 - Johnson's Baby Powder and Shower to Shower are the two talcum powder products that a St. Louis jury confirmed can cause ovarian cancer. Talcum powder ovarian cancer research has been the subject to studies since the 1970s, but for a variety of reasons we are now learning, most women were not aware of the baby powder cancer connection until last month.
Talc, the key ingredient in Johnson's Baby Powder and Shower to Shower, is a natural substance found around the world. It is mined from the earth in many different locations. At times, talc has been found to naturally contain asbestos, a known carcinogen to humans. But the use of asbestos-containing talc has been outlawed in the United States for decades, so talcum powder ovarian cancer research findings cannot be blamed on the presence of asbestos in the product.
Talc is a useful substance that is an ingredient in many different products. Many, such as paints and industrial substances, do not pose a risk of cancer to people because the products are not meant for ingestion or bodily use. But when talcum powders are inhaled or when talc particles enter the body through the vagina, baby powder has been found to cause cancer. Lung cancer and ovarian cancer are believed to develop because of the inflammation that talc particles cause inside the organs. Talc is not easily soluble with water, which means talc particles can remain intact wherever they come to rest in the body for years and even decades. Talc from baby powder that lands in the ovaries is believed to be the source of increased rates of ovarian cancer suffered by women who use baby powder routinely to dust their perineum.
Unaware of the baby powder ovarian cancer connection, many women have incorporated talcum powder dusting as a part of their daily routine. Johnson's baby powder advertising claims the product absorbs excess moisture and reduces unwanted natural body odors. Assuming the product was harmless, American women have unknowingly exposed themselves to a significant increase in their risk for contracting ovarian cancer. The most recent studies on baby powder ovarian cancer show talcum powder dusting can increase a woman's chance of developing the disease anywhere between 33% and 41%, depending on how often she uses a talc based product such as Shower to Shower or Johnson's Baby Powder.
The talcum powder ovarian cancer risk must be taken seriously, as it was by the jury in the 2016 baby powder cancer lawsuit. Ovarian cancer is a deadly disease that results in significant pain, suffering, and loss of life. Ovarian cancer ranks as the fifth most common cause of death for women. Older women are more susceptible to ovarian cancer, with most diagnoses occurring in women who are 60+. When women of any age use talcum powder for feminine hygiene, their chance of contracting baby powder ovarian cancer rises. Other risk factors for ovarian cancer, besides age and talcum powder use, include obesity and personal/family history of breast cancer. Baby powder specifically increases the risk for epithelial ovarian cancer, which is the most commonly occurring form of the deadly disease.
Symptoms of talcum powder ovarian cancer can be difficult to detect, according to baby powder lawsuits. The typical signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer include bloating, pelvic or abdominal pain, trouble eating or feeling full quickly, and urinary symptoms like urgency and frequency. The problem is that these are non-specific complaints that can be attributed to many other ailments; they are not specific to ovarian cancer. Prior to the recent mainstream awareness of baby powder ovarian cancer, women who used talcum powder had no idea that bloating might mean they had contracted talcum powder ovarian cancer. Other symptoms of baby powder cancer are fatigue, upset stomach, back pain, pain during sex, constipation, menstrual changes, and abdominal swelling with weight loss. The common and rare symptoms are talcum powder cancer are so generic that many cases of ovarian cancer are not detected until the disease is in its later stages.
In current talcum powder ovarian cancer lawsuits, the plaintiffs say they would not have used baby powder or other talc products had they known the risk. For one, talcum powder for feminine dusting is not a necessity - many women state they used the product more out of habit than for any other reason. And there are viable alternatives - corn-starch based body powders, which have been on the market side by side with talcum powder for decades, are not known to pose a risk for ovarian cancer. The fact that Johnson & Johnson purposefully concealed baby powder ovarian cancer warning information from the public is abhorrent. The company is already facing 1,200 talcum powder cancer lawsuits and experts suggest many more women will make baby powder cancer claims before the year is out.
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