Talcum Powder Ovarian Cancer Attorneys
Johnson & Johnson manufactures Shower to Shower and Baby Powder talcum powder products. For years it marketed these products to consumers as safe to use for feminine hygiene. However, women who repeatedly used these talcum powder products in their genital area have unknowingly increased their risk for developing ovarian cancer. Women who used talcum powder on a regular– often daily basis — on sanitary napkins, diaphragms, condoms, or directly on the genital area are particularly at risk. A study conducted by the International Journal of Gynecological Cancer in May 2015 found that talc use increased the risk for ovarian cancer by 30-60% in “almost all well-designed studies”.
How does talc cause harm?
Researchers state that talc is able to migrate through the genital tract and gain access to the ovaries. The scientists comment that talc was originally implicated as a possible ovarian carcinogen because of its chemical similarity to asbestos. Indeed, a handful of studies conducted from the early 1970s through as recent as 2006 have all pointed toward talc as being a factor in ovarian cancer.
Talcum powder linked to ovarian cancer
One study published in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology in 1971 found that 75% of all ovarian cancers the researchers inspected contained talc particles. This was one of the early investigations related to the use of talcum powder for feminine hygiene.
More recent studies examine the risk of ovarian cancer based on frequency and use of talcum powder. These studies also indicate an increased risk of ovarian cancer related to the use of talcum powder in the genital area as compared with women who did not use talcum powder.
Talcum powder lawsuits
More than 1,200 lawsuits are pending in state and federal courts by women who allege that they developed ovarian cancer after using Johnson & Johnson’s Shower to Shower and Baby Powder talcum products. In February 2016 a St. Louis jury awarded $72 million to the family of a woman who died of ovarian cancer after using Shower to Shower and Baby Powder products for years. Then in May 2016 another jury awarded $55 million to a woman who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer after also using Shower to Shower and Baby Powder products throughout most of her life. Court documents in these trials point to internal memos from Johnson & Johnson show that the company knew about the risk of ovarian cancer associated with talcum powder products.
If you or someone you know used Johnson & Johnson’s Shower to Shower or Baby Powder talcum powder products and has been diagnosed with ovarian cancer, contact us. Cohen & Malad, LLP product liability attorneys have experience litigating cases against large companies and can provide you with a FREE case evaluation and advise you of your legal rights and options.
Prior results do not guarantee future outcomes. Case results vary dramatically depending on specific facts and circumstances. Publicized trial verdicts of $72 million and $55 million were not obtained by Cohen & Malad, LLP.
