In a lawsuit filed against Johnson & Johnson, a long-time baby powder user says that a link between talc and cancer caused her to develop ovarian cancer.

Plaintiff Sharon H. claims that she developed ovarian cancer because she used Johnson & Johnson’s Baby Powder and Shower to Shower products for intimate hygiene, and that these two products contain talc, which she says is a carcinogen.

Sharon argues that Johnson & Johnson knew or should have known that talc and cancer are linked, but continued to market and sell the products as safe and effective for intimate use. Allegedly, they continued to market and sell the products in order to increase their profits while endangering the health and lives of many customers.

Additionally, Sharon says that during the time period that Johnson & Johnson marketed and sold the Baby Powder and Shower to Shower products, there was a safe alternative products on the market. According to the lawsuit, cornstarch has many of the same drying products as talc, but is quickly broken down by the body and does not have any negative health effects. Sharon claims that cornstarch could have been used in the products, yet the company actively chose to use talc to make their products.

Sharon says she used Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder and Shower to Shower almost every day between around August 1977 and September 2003. During this time, she says she did not know that perineal talc use and cancer were linked, and Johnson & Johnson did not communicate the talc and cancer link to its customers, though the company allegedly knew that perineal talc use could cause cancer.

The lawsuit says that the first study linking talc and cancer was produced in 1971, and since then, research has continued to link talc and cancer. Johnson & Johnson knew that talc could cause ovarian cancer, or should have known, alleges the lawsuit.

According to Sharon, she dusted her genitals with Shower to Shower and Baby Powder regularly for many years. She claims that her perineal talc use was consistent with the intended use of the product. She says that she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer on or around Sept. 11, 2003, at the age of 43. 

Sharon aims to hold Johnson & Johnson accountable for her ovarian cancer, along with Imerys Talc, the company that she says supplies talc to Johnson & Johnson for its personal hygiene products. Allegedly, both companies misrepresented talc as safe and effective to consumers.

The talc lawsuit argues that Johnson & Johnson present their products as a “symbol of freshness, cleanliness, and purity.” Allegedly, the company encourages perineal talc use by consumers to absorb “excess wetness” and to keep skin feeling dry and comfortable. The company allegedly advertised that their talc-based products are “clinically proven gentle and mild.”

In contrast to this advertisement, Sharon alleges that studies show that talc is not clinically proven to be gentle and mild. In fact, perineal talc use can cause ovarian cancer, says Sharon, and that use in the perineal area was encouraged by Johnson & Johnson.

The Talc Lawsuit is Case No. 1:18-cv-02601, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.