A gradual buildup of scientific evidence linking talcum powder to ovarian cancer has led to a wave of hundreds of baby powder lawsuits.

Baby powders use talc, a naturally-occurring mineral that helps absorb moisture and reduces friction between skin. Historically, talc has sometimes been contaminated with traces of other minerals, including asbestos. Testing in the 1970s revealed traces of asbestos in some talc-based consumer products. Talc itself has also been found deeply imbedded in cancerous ovarian tissue.

Later studies began to reveal a relationship between women’s use of talcum powder near the genital area and later development of ovarian cancer. One study from 1999 estimated that talc could be the cause of 10 percent of the annual ovarian cancer cases in the U.S., or 2,000 individual cases per year.

Baby Powder Lawsuits

Deane B. of South Dakota brought what was likely the first known baby powder cancer lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson. She was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in her late 40s, after having used Johnson’s Baby Powder and Shower to Shower, both talc-based powders, since her teens.

Both powders had been made by Johnson & Johnson, though in 2012 the company sold the marketing rights for Shower to Shower to another company. In October 2013 the jury found J&J had been negligent in failing to warn about the risk of ovarian cancer but also awarded Deane no damages.

In April 2014, Mona E. from California initiated a baby powder class action lawsuit against J&J. Mona said she had been using Johnson’s Baby Powder regularly since the 1950s. She cited studies that found use of talcum powder was linked to as much as a 33 percent increase in the likelihood of ovarian cancer.

The next month, another baby powder class action lawsuit was filed in Missouri. Plaintiffs Denis M. and Erin H. allege that J&J withhold information about the risk of baby powder cancer from consumers.

They allege J&J has known about that risk for years, citing a study from 1982 that showed women who used talcum powder near their genitals on a daily basis were more likely to develop ovarian cancer.

The plaintiffs say the company continues to present the product as being safe, even when used in the manner most likely to be associated with a greater risk of ovarian cancer.

Denis and Erin filed on behalf of all Missouri residents who bought Johnson’s Baby Powder in the preceding five years. They’ve asked the court for an award of punitive damages and an order mandating a corrective advertising campaign, among other remedies.

Today an estimated 700 women have filed baby powder cancer lawsuits. In addition to naming J&J as a defendant, some claims are directed against Imerys Talc America, which supplies J&J with talc. Others name as a defendant the Personal Care Products Council, a trade advocacy group for cosmetics manufacturers.

J&J and the other defendants argue that these women’s claims are without merit. They say that statistically, the relationship between talcum powder use and ovarian cancer is too weak to show a causal relationship. Without a causal connection, they say, they were under no obligation to issue a warning.