Johnson & Johnson (J&J) is facing yet another talcum powder lawsuit. This one, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. The plaintiff alleges that, after using J&J’s Baby Powder and Shower to Shower products in her daily feminine hygiene regimen, she was diagnosed with uterine cancer. The plaintiff also claims she […]
Johnson & Johnson (J&J) is facing yet another talcum powder lawsuit. This one, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. The plaintiff alleges that, after using J&J’s Baby Powder and Shower to Shower products in her daily feminine hygiene regimen, she was diagnosed with uterine cancer.
The plaintiff also claims she used J&J’s personal care products for decades. In that time period, these products did not bear any label warning the consumer that there was any risk of cancer due to use of these talc products. In 2006, the plaintiff received a uterine cancer diagnosis and has been in remission since 2007. Remission followed surgery to remove her ovaries, uterus, and fallopian tubes.
For many years, J&J products have been marketed as the epitome of freshness and superior hygiene. These products have been advertised as a simple, safe, and economical way to curb skin wetness, prevent chafing, and eliminate unwanted odors. J&J allegedly had “vast and growing knowledge’ of the risks of ovarian and uterine cancer that regular use of these products posed to women.
Numerous studies in the early 1970s revealed a likely link between talc–a mineral containing oxygen, silicon, and magnesium–and new cases of ovarian cancer. The plaintiff claims that more than 22 such studies revealed an elevated risk of cancer by women who reported genital use of talc-based products. J&J in particular, was called upon by advocacy groups, as well as consumers, to–at the very least–add strong warning language to its packaging labels.
The relatives of a woman who died from ovarian cancer were awarded $72 million in February 2016. Another plaintiff, in May 2016, was awarded $55 million over a lawsuit involving J&J. Over 1,200 talcum powder lawsuits are pending accusing J&J of ignoring or minimizing the cancer risk associated with the use of talc-based products.