Kim Gale  |  October 12, 2022

Category: Beauty Products

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Woman holds baby son

Can baby powder cause cancer if it is used for personal hygiene? While talcum powder products have been directly used on the skin help deodorize and absorb moisture, the primary component in talcum powder is magnesium silicate hydroxide (commonly known as talc). Talc is the main ingredient in baby powder, medicated powder, perfumed powders and designer perfumed body powder.

Most consumers assume that baby powder must be harmless. It is a powder product that many Americans have grown up with, and have never been given a reason to believe it anything other than perfectly safe.

However, some research suggests that using talcum powder on the genitals can cause tumors in the ovaries, leading to ovarian cancer. Talc particles are capable of moving up the reproductive system and becoming embedded in the lining of the ovary. Researchers have found talc particles in ovarian tumors and have found that some women with ovarian cancer have used baby powder in their genital area more frequently than healthy women.

A growing number of baby powder cancer lawsuits have been filed by people accusing manufacturers like Johnson & Johnson of failing to warn about the risk of ovarian cancer from using talcum powder.

What is talcum powder?

Baby powder, often made from talcum powder, is used to keep skin dry and help prevent rashes.

However, recent reports linking talc and cancer have caused consumers to wonder: Is there a substantial risk here, and can baby powder cause cancer?

When talc is mined, ribbons of asbestos often are found running through the talc. This means the raw mineral talc may contain asbestos, a cancer-causing substance linked with mesothelioma, but after realizing the risk, talc products have been tested to be allegedly be free of asbestos contaminants since the 1970s.

Studies link baby powder to cancer

Some studies have suggested that women who regularly use talcum powder on the genital area have an increased risk of ovarian cancer, one of the deadliest cancers for women in the U.S.

The talcum powder ovarian cancer risk has been documented through numerous studies dating back to 1982. When talc products such as baby powder are applied to the genital region, talc particles can travel through the female reproductive system to the ovaries. Talc particles may remain in the ovaries for many years, causing inflammation and creating an environment conducive to the growth of cancer cells. One expert estimates that roughly 10,000 women each year develop ovarian cancer as a result of using baby powder.

Mom and baby in bedThe most recent studies suggest that women who use talcum powder are 40% more likely to get ovarian cancer. Experts from Harvard Medical School in Boston studied more than 3,000 women and found using talc merely once a week raised the risk of ovarian cancer by 36%, rising to 41% for those applying powder daily. But talc-based baby powder manufacturers have failed to update warnings regarding the potential danger of ovarian cancer on their products.

Even though the Department of Health and Human Services has concluded that regular baby powder application leads to higher rates of ovarian cancer, Johnson & Johnson continues to deny the connections and the risks even though talc was the main ingredient in Johnson & Johnson’s baby powder for generations.

The question of ovarian cancer risk among women who use baby powder has not been settled. Some studies have shown a small increased risk and other investigations have shown none. However, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, a part of the World Health Organization, classifies the use of talc-based powders on the genital region as “possibly carcinogenic to humans.”

Although the additional risk, if any, of ovarian cancer would be very small, the American Cancer Society suggests that women may want to avoid or limit the use of feminine hygiene products containing talc because research results have been mixed.

Baby powder cancer warning

Despite evidence presented by scientific studies linking talcum powder to ovarian and lung cancer, talc continues to be an unregulated substance in the United States. However, many other organizations have issued talcum powder cancer warnings to caution consumers about the risk of cancer associated with baby powder. At times, even executives from the cosmetics industry have admitted there is scientific evidence behind the baby powder cancer link.

Still, in May of this year, Johnson & Johnson decided to stop selling its staple talc-based Johnson’s Baby Powder in the U.S. and Canada, and will only sell cornstarch-based baby powders throughout North America. Despite mounting concerns over baby powder risk, Johnson & Johnson maintains that the move was motivated by consumer habits instead of safety issues.

“Decades of scientific studies by medical experts around the world support the safety of our product,” the company said in a statement.

“Demand for talc-based Johnson’s Baby Powder in North America has been declining due in large part to changes in consumer habits and fueled by misinformation around the safety of the product and a constant barrage of litigation advertising.”

Ovarian cancer difficult to detect

The potential link between ovarian cancer and baby powder is especially concerning because of the severity of the disease. Ovarian cancer and related diseases are the fifth leading cause of cancer death in U.S. women, according to the National Cancer Institute.

Ovarian cancer comes with very few early symptoms, and so this dangerous disease is generally not diagnosed until a patient has reached the last stages of the cancer. Once a patient has progressed that far in the disease, treatment becomes much less successful than when it is caught early on. This symptom delay causes the death rate of ovarian cancer patients to be high.

Baby powder cause cancer lawsuits

Despite the mounting evidence of serious health affects with use of talcum powder, major manufacturers of talcum powder products do not warn consumers of the potential dangers. Lawyers across the country are reviewing potential baby powder lawsuits filed by women who feel they were injured by talcum powder, an indication that manufacturers of these products can expect to see a lot more lawsuits filed against them.

The Missouri Supreme Court recently upheld a $2.12 billion verdict against Johnson & Johnson after nearly two dozen plaintiffs alleged they developed ovarian cancer due to baby powder that was tainted with asbestos.

Women involved in baby powder cancer lawsuits believe that companies that manufacture and market these talc-based baby powder products are responsible to provide adequate warnings of the risks involved in using their product.

Plaintiffs claim that adequate knowledge of these potentially serious risks would have prevented them from using the product, and therefore would have allowed them to avoid an ovarian cancer diagnosis altogether.

If you or someone you know has used Johnson’s Baby Powder or a similar powder product containing talc and have since been diagnosed with ovarian cancer, you may be able to file a baby powder cancer lawsuit.

Join a free Johnson’s Baby Powder class action lawsuit investigation

If you or your loved one was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and used a baby powder product such as Johnson and Johnson Baby Powder or Shower to Shower, submit your information now in the form on this page for a free and confidential case evaluation. 

You may qualify to pursue compensation for your medical bills, pain and suffering, and other damages.

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Join a free Johnson’s Baby Powder class action lawsuit investigation

Failing to warn consumers about the danger of baby powder cancer could make companies liable for your injuries. If you used Johnson’s Baby Powder or Shower to Shower body powder and were diagnosed with ovarian cancer or mesothelioma — or your loved one was — you may have a legal claim.

Please Note: If you want to participate in this investigation, it is imperative that you reply to the law firm if they call or email you. Failing to do so may result in you not getting signed up as a client or getting you dropped as a client.

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