Talcum Powder | Rinere & Rinere, LLP

Talcum Powder Lawsuits

Talcum powder lawsuits are filed for women diagnosed with ovarian cancer caused by regular use of talcum powder. As many as 2,200 cases are diagnosed each year. If you or a loved one have been diagnosed with ovarian cancer after talcum powder use, contact us for a free consultation.

Johnson & Johnson faces nearly 12,000 talcum powder lawsuits alleging it knew its talcum powder products could cause cancer, but failed to notify federal regulators or warn consumers. Numerous cases on behalf of injured women have been tried alleging Johnson & Johnson’s talc caused their ovarian cancer, resulted in awards totaling $724 million. We are also investigating talc powder lawsuits caused by talcum powder products under brands made by other manufacturers.

What is Talcum Power?

Talcum powder is a mineral made up of various elements including magnesium, silicon and oxygen. It is mined from the earth and then ground to make talcum powder. Talcum powder is used in a wide variety of products to absorb moisture.

Products that contain talcum powder:

Baby powder
Body powders
Gold Bond
Summer’s Eve Body Powder
Nivea Pure Talc
Perfumed powders
Shower to Shower and Cashmere Bouquet body powders
Pressed cosmetic powders including face powder, eye shadows and blush
Some deodorants
Some condoms and diaphragms

Popular brand names:

Johnson’s Baby Powder
Shower to Shower
Cashmere Bouquet
Gold Bond Medicated Body Powder
Summer’s Eve Body Powder
Nivea Pure Talc

In recent years, research has linked talc to deadly cancers, specifically ovarian cancer and mesothelioma.

Talcum Powder for Feminine Hygiene

For more than a century, Johnson & Johnson marketed its Johnson’s Baby Powder, Shower to Shower body powder, and other talcum powder products as safe, even for infants. Many women grew up using the product not only to care for their babies, but also for their own personal hygiene based on the recommendations of their mothers and grandmothers. For generations, women were told a sprinkle of talcum powder on their genitals would keep them dry and fresh.

Ads dating back to the 1980's for Shower to Shower body powder pushed the message, “Just a sprinkle a day keeps odor away”, and reminded women that “Your body perspires in more places than just under your arms”.

In 2006, Johnson & Johnson launched a campaign to encourage minority women and overweight women to use its talcum powder as a genital antiperspirant and deodorant. According to internal documents, the company distributed baby powder samples through churches and beauty salons in African-American and Hispanic neighborhoods, and reached out to weight loss company Weight Watchers for other promotions. These efforts were allegedly designed to target “curvy southern women 18-49 skewing African American.”

What Johnson & Johnson wasn’t telling women is that it was aware of studies from as early as the 1960's that were drawing a concerning link between talcum powder and ovarian cancer.

Talcum Powder and Ovarian Cancer

In the 1960's, Harvard University researcher D. Daniel Cramer and colleagues saw a possible link between talcum powder and ovarian cancer, noting that some talcum powders contained asbestos, and asbestos placed intraperitoneally on the surface of the ovaries of animals resulted in multilayered abnormal cell growth. In 1971, researches observed talc in human ovarian and uterine cancers.

A 1982 case-controlled study was the first to link genital use of talcum powder to ovarian cancer. Since then, dozens of studies involving thousands of women have found that genital use of talcum powder increases the risk for the deadly disease, including one that found women who have used talcum powder on their genitals were 30 percent more likely to develop ovarian cancer than those who haven’t.

In 2016, researchers with the University of Virginia focused their research on African American women, believing this demographic was more likely to have used talcum powder in this manner. They found that African American women who used talcum powder for feminine hygiene were 40 percent more likely to develop cancer than those who did not use talcum powder on their genitals.

Researchers with Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, conducting a National Institute of Health-funded ovarian cancer study, suggested that talcum powder causes inflammation in the body that can lead to cancer.

Today, the American Cancer Society’s website lists talcum powder use as a risk factor for ovarian cancer. Dr. Cramer, who has studied the link between talc and ovarian cancer for decades, believes genital use of talc - either by applying the talc directly to the genitals or dusting it on sanitary napkins - allows small particles to migrate up the vagina and fallopian tubes to the ovaries, where the particles can remain for years. This can cause inflammation of the ovaries, which can cause cancer. Another possible reason why talc can cause ovarian cancer is that talc can become contaminated with asbestos, a known carcinogen.

Asbestos in Talcum Powder

Asbestos is a known carcinogen. Because talc is mined from rock and soil, often in the same proximity and manner as asbestos, talcum powder can become contaminated with asbestos. “During talc mining, if talc mining sites are not selected carefully and steps are not taken to purify the talc sufficiently, the talc may be contaminated with asbestos,” the FDA said in a news release.

Asbestos is a fibrous mineral that is both durable and fire-resistant. It is used to make a variety of products including construction and shipbuilding materials, like insulations, cement products, and floor tiles; as well as friction products, like vehicle brakes and brake pads.

On October 19, Johnson & Johnson recalled about 33,0000 bottles of Johnson’s Baby Powder after testing revealed that samples of the company’s talcum powder were contaminated with asbestos. The recall prompted retailers - including Walmart, Rite Aid, CVS and Target - to pull all 22 ounce bottles of Johnson’s Baby Powder from their shelves and in some cases issue a “Do Not Sell” register prompt as a precaution.

In recent years, asbestos has been banned in more than 60 countries and is use limited to the United States. It had been known for decades that exposure to the microscopic fibers of asbestos could lead to cancers, including mesothelioma.

Asbestos exposure is most often linked to mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer that forms in the lining of internal organs such as the lungs, abdomen, or chest.

Talcum Powder Lawyers

We have been privileged to represent women who have developed ovarian cancer after using Johnson & Johnson talcum powder on their genitals for feminine hygiene and we continue to investigate these cases regardless of the brand.

If you or a loved one has developed ovarian cancer after using talcum powder on the genitals for feminine hygiene, you may be entitled to compensation for medical expenses, loss of wages, and pain and suffering.