Robert J. Boumis  |  April 1, 2015

Category: Consumer News

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dangers of baby powder cancerThe issue of talcum powder and ovarian cancer is complex, and various research studies have observed a wide variety of associations between the use of talcum powder and consumers’ development of ovarian cancer. However, the U.S. legal system often has a different standard of evidence than the scientific community, which has paved the way for baby powder lawsuits by women who developed ovarian cancer after using talcum powder products for female hygiene purposes.

There are two types of baby powder on the market: talcum powder and cornstarch-based baby powder. The mostly commonly used is talcum powder which is mostly composed of talc, a naturally occurring mineral. Before the 1970s, traces of asbestos could be found in talcum powder, since both minerals occur under similar geological conditions. Because of the rising concern of asbestos side effects, tighter regulations in the 1970s meant that modern talcum powder did not contain asbestos. However, concerns have emerged that talcum powder on its own or because of trace amounts of asbestos fibers may cause ovarian cancer when the product is applied to the genital area. Some talcum powder research has supported this medical hypothesis.

Baby Powder Cancer Research

One of the strongest studies to explore the possible link between baby powder and ovarian cancer was published in 1999 from the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, entitled “Prospective Study of Talc Use and Ovarian Cancer.”

This baby powder ovarian cancer study drew from a prospective cohort study of nurses. A prospective cohort study is a type of research study where researchers follow a group of similar people for a number of years, and look for differing outcomes between them. Previous studies, most of which found some link between talcum-based baby powders and ovarian cancer, were mostly retrospective cohort studies, where researchers take a group of people with an outcome (in this case, ovarian cancer), and find a very similar group of people without the outcome, and compare them to try and identify risk factors. A prospective cohort study is immune to certain biases found in retrospective studies, including peoples’ tendency to remember things incorrectly or forget (also known as recall bias). The 1999 prospective cohort study drew data from the Nurses’ Health Study, which collected data from 121,700 nurses, though only data from 78,630 of the group wound up being used for this baby powder cancer study.

Researchers found that women who used talcum powder on their genitals had a modestly increased rate of ovarian cancer. However, researchers dug further, and found that women using baby powder like this had an increase specifically in the risk of the more dangerous and invasive forms of ovarian cancer rather than a generalized risk of ovarian cancer.

Baby Powder Cancer Litigation

Baby powder ovarian cancer lawsuits have alleged that medical companies like Johnson & Johnson knew—or reasonably should have known—of the potential link between their talcum powder and ovarian cancer. In fact, some of the studies cited in the 1999 baby powder ovarian cancer study date back all the way to the 1970s. Ovarian cancer lawsuits typically seek to recoup the cost of medical care from ovarian cancer allegedly caused by talcum powder products like Johnson & Johnson’s Shower to Shower, a product specially designed for use on the genitals.

Do YOU have a legal claim? Fill out the form on this page now for a free, immediate, and confidential case evaluation. The attorneys who work with Top Class Actions will contact you if you qualify to let you know if an individual lawsuit or class action lawsuit is best for you. [In general, baby powder cancer lawsuits are filed individually by each plaintiff and are not class actions.] Hurry — statutes of limitations may apply.

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Join a Free Baby Powder Cancer Class Action Lawsuit Investigation

If you used Johnson’s Baby Powder, Shower to Shower, or another talcum powder product and were diagnosed with ovarian cancer, you may have a legal claim. Family members of loved ones who died of ovarian cancer can also join. Submit your information now for a free case evaluation.

An attorney will contact you if you qualify to discuss the details of your potential case at no charge to you.

 

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