Cancer Organizations Have Warned Consumers About Risks of Talcum Powder for Years

Regular use of talcum powder on the genital area has been linked to an increased risk of ovarian cancer. Johnson & Johnson products that contain talc, including Johnson’s Baby Powder® and Shower to Shower®, pose a serious health risk to thousands of women.

Many members of the scientific community have dedicated years to studying the link between ovarian cancer and long-term use of talcum powder in the genital area. Mounting scientific evidence indicates that long-term use of talcum powder could increase a woman’s risk of developing ovarian cancer by as much as 33%.

Both national and international cancer awareness organizations have spent years trying to get J&J to add warning labels to their products. Additionally, they have attempted to seek changes in labeling on talcum products through the FDA but were unsuccessful. Since 1999, the American Cancer Society has suggested that women using baby powder for feminine hygiene purposes should avoid using products that contain talc. The American Cancer Society has recommended that women switch to a baby powder product that is made using cornstarch, and not talcum powder.

Additionally, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) announced in 2006 that the use of talcum powder on the genital area could be a potential risk factor for ovarian cancer.

Court documents from a 2013 trial against Johnson & Johnson indicated that the company acknowledged concerns about the risk of ovarian cancer being linked to long-term talcum powder use as early as 1992. Despite their knowledge of this major health risk, J&J chose not to add warning labels to their Johnson’s Baby Powder® and Shower to Shower® products for decades. Now, thousands of women are coming forward to seek damages against Johnson & Johnson.

Three recent court cases have found that J&J failed to warn women about the potential health risks associated with using their products:

•  Oct 2013: A jury in Sioux Falls, South Dakota found that Johnson & Johnson was negligent in failing to add warning labels to their talcum powder products. The jury found that Johnson & Johnson should have warned women about the potential health risks of J&J talcum powder.
• Feb 2016: A jury in St. Louis, Missouri ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay $72 million in damages to the estate of a woman who died of ovarian cancer caused by regular talc use.
• May 2016: A second jury in St. Louis also awarded $55 million in damages to a South Dakota woman that was diagnosed with ovarian cancer after using Johnson & Johnson talcum powder.

There are currently more than 1,200 pending cases against Johnson & Johnson for talcum powder-related ovarian cancer. If you or a loved one were a regular user of Johnson & Johnson talcum powder for feminine hygiene and were diagnosed with ovarian cancer, you may be entitled to file a claim against J&J.

Call Graves McLain today at 918-359-6600 for a FREE, confidential consultation. At Graves McLain, our caring, experienced Product Liability attorneys will speak with you for free and help provide the answers you seek.

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