Internal documents from Johnson & Johnson show the company knew for years about the risk of asbestos in baby powder, according to a recent report.

Many people now know that studies have linked the talcum powder that they used for intimate hygiene for many years to ovarian cancer. However, many people do not know that trace amounts of asbestos in baby powder could have made the risk of cancer more widespread than previously thought.

Talc powder, the base ingredient in products like baby powder and Johnson & Johnson’s Shower to Shower product, has been linked to ovarian cancer in several studies.

Additionally, research suggests that many talc powders like baby powder may be contaminated with asbestos, a substance that can cause cancer. Talc and asbestos are both naturally mined minerals, and are often found together, making the possibility of asbestos in baby powder a large problem.

Consumers are now concerned that the asbestos isn’t completely removed from the talc in the production of products like baby powder and Shower to Shower powder.

Asbestos is a mineral that is mined from the earth, and has long been used in building materials because it is heat resistant and its long fibers make it durable. Though it has long been used in building, it can cause many dangerous conditions like lung cancer and mesothelioma when the fibers are breathed in.

It is largely not dangerous when the fibers are not disturbed, so it is still legal to have asbestos in existing structures. But the use of asbestos in new products has largely been banned.

Research suggests that more men than women have been affected by asbestos-related cancer and other asbestos-related conditions, because more men than women work in fields like construction, building and manufacturing, where people have a high likelihood of being exposed to asbestos.

So some women who didn’t work in these fields but developed asbestos-related conditions like lung cancer and mesothelioma have not known how they were exposed to asbestos. Now, research suggests that the culprit may be asbestos in baby powder or other talc powder products, which are largely marketed towards women.

According to Insurance Journal, one such woman was Darlene C., a 52 year old woman from eastern Texas, who developed mesothelioma after allegedly using Johnson & Johnson baby powder and Shower to Shower for many years.

In 1999, Darlene launched a lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson, claiming that the company knew of the presence of asbestos in baby powder, and concealed this information from customers, despite the danger that asbestos caused. She argued that the company knew or should have known both that talc contained asbestos and that asbestos could cause cancer.

Unfortunately, Darlene was forced to drop her lawsuit, because Johnson & Johnson were able to avoid revealing talc test results and company records that could help her prove that the company had knowledge that their talc products contained asbestos.

Now, twenty years later, Johnson & Johnson has been forced to share the documents that Darlene and her lawyer sought. With the rise of new evidence that the company knew of the possibility of asbestos in baby powder and other talc products, almost 12,000 people have come forward claiming that talc caused cancer, either because of the carcinogenic nature of talc itself or because it was allegedly contaminated with asbestos.