A plaintiff has come forward to file a talcum powder ovarian cancer lawsuit against the pharmaceutical and household product giant Johnson & Johnson (J&J) and alleged co-conspirator Imerys Talc America Inc.

Plaintiff Jeanettia M. registered her talcum powder ovarian cancer lawsuit on Nov. 18, 2018, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

Jeanettia alleges that J&J knowingly and purposefully hid growing information they had about the ovarian cancer-contributing nature of genitally-applied talc-based products. She is a resident and citizen of the state of North Carolina and was diagnosed with this oft-deadly disease around the middle of July 2004, according to the talcum powder ovarian cancer lawsuit.

At the time of Jeanettia’s diagnosis, she was 52 years old. She alleges she had applied both J&J’s Baby Powder and Shower-to-Shower products daily to the perineum since February 1976. Even receiving this disconcerting news didn’t stop her from continuing the daily hygiene practice for another five years, she says.

The timeline laid out in the talcum powder ovarian cancer lawsuit indicates that she ceased to make this application part of her post-shower ritual in August 2009.

The Connection Between Talc Use and Cancer Unveiled

A full five years before the plaintiff started applying the talc-based products to her genital region, a study undertaken in Cardiff, Wales revealed a suggestive association between this type of use and cervical cancer development.

Then, according to Jeanettia’s talcum powder ovarian cancer lawsuit narrative, a follow-up study—the first epidemiological version—was completed in 1982 under the directorship of Dr. Daniel Cramer and his associates.

Jeanettia says Dr. Bruce Semple of J&J came to visit Dr. Cramer at his behest afterward to review the astounding result. What was reported was an incredible 92 percent risk increase of cervical cancer among women who reported daily perineum use of talc products.

Allegedly, Dr. Cramer encouraged Dr. Semple to place a warning on the packaging of J&J’s Baby Powder and Shower-to-Shower. The idea behind this advice was to allow women the information necessary to make solid choices about their own health with all the available data.

Since that first 1982 epidemiological study, an additional 27 other similar studies have allegedly been completed. These efforts all underscore the same increase to varying degrees in risk among those applying talc genitally. Purportedly, in 1993, the U.S. National Toxicology Program funded a study that found evidence of carcinogenic activity as well.

In response to this evidence, those with commercial interests in talc decided to fight back by forming the Talc-Interested Party Task Force (TIPTF)—a division of the Cosmetic Toiletry and Fragrance Association (CTFA). TIPTF allegedly pooled resources from industries making a profit from talc and hired pseudo-scientists to undertake research leading to purposefully biased data underscoring benign properties of talc.

According to the plaintiff’s talcum powder ovarian cancer lawsuit, this skewed data was foisted on the American public to create a shadow of a doubt and spur controversy and sales. These efforts were successful for the better part of 40 years and supposedly responsible for Jeanettia’s cancer and that of many other women.

The Talcum Powder Ovarian Cancer Lawsuit is Case No. 1:18-cv-02662-RC in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.