Johnson & Johnson is facing new trials questioning whether its talc-based baby powder causes cancer.

On Dec. 2, opening statements were made in a California state court where a mesothelioma cancer case began. Just a couple of days later, a Missouri state court room saw jury selection begin in an ovarian cancer case.

According to an article from Courtroom View Network, the pair of cases have garnered extra attention because they are the first trials to begin since Johnson’s Baby Powder was recalled in October after FDA tests found asbestos fibers in a testing sample.

In California, Plaintiff Linda O. filed suit against Johnson & Johnson after she was diagnosed with mesothelioma, a type of cancer that starts in the lining of an organ.

Mesothelioma is linked to asbestos exposure almost 100 percent of the time, and the time between exposure to asbestos and the development of mesothelioma can range anywhere between 20 and 50 years. O’Hagan alleges she was exposed to asbestos by using Johnson’s Baby Powder for several decades.

Johnson & Johnson has spent decades denying its talc-based powders were tainted with asbestos. When the FDA confirmed the presence of chrysotile fibers, a type of asbestos, was found in Johnson’s Baby Powder, Johnson & Johnson rushed to fault the accuracy of the testing.

It was later learned that the lab that confirmed the presence of the asbestos fibers in the baby powder sample was run by a scientist who had provided testimony on behalf Johnson & Johnson in earlier trials. The company was then faced with a dilemma of either supporting its own expert or casting doubt on its own expert’s test results.

Allegations of asbestos-tainted talc have been circulating for years. Talc and asbestos are often found in close proximity in talc mines.

According to a statement by the FDA, “During talc mining, if talc mining sites are not selected carefully and steps are not taken to purify the talc ore sufficiently, the talc may be contaminated with asbestos. Asbestos is a known carcinogen.”

Woman Alleges Baby Powder Causes Cancer

Plaintiff Vickie F. in Missouri alleges in her lawsuit that she developed ovarian cancer because of her use of Johnson & Johnson’s talc products over the course of many years. The last time a St. Louis jury heard an ovarian cancer case alleging talc caused the disease resulted in a $4.69 billion verdict in favor of the 22 plaintiffs in 2018.

In June of this year, Wayne State University researcher Ghassan Saed, Ph.D., of the Karmanos Cancer Center in Detroit, announced new research findings at the 2019 Annual Meeting of the Society of Gynecologic Oncology. According to Cancer Therapy Advisor, Dr. Saed and his team of researchers said they had found a link between talc and an inflammatory response in normal cells and in ovarian cancer cells.

Dr. Saed said in a lab setting, talc increased the oxidative state in ovarian cancer cells. He said they were most surprised to see healthy cells from fallopian tubes react the same way. More scientists have expressed the belief that ovarian cancer starts inside the fallopian tubes.

Both oxidation and inflammation have been linked to the development cancer cells. If talc increases oxidation and inflammation, researchers might eventually be able to prove baby powder causes cancer.

“This is the first in vitro study that shows a direct biological effect on what’s thought to be an inert substance {talc} on ovarian cancer cells and most importantly, normal cells coming from the fallopian tubes,” Dr. Saed said.