Ovarian cancer has been linked to the use of popular talcum powder-based products, such as Johnson’s Baby Powder and Shower to Shower Body Powder, in many adult women.

As little as four years of regular use of use of talcum powder for perineal dusting can reportedly substantially increase the risk of ovarian cancer in adult women.

What is Talcum Powder?

Talcum powder
is made from a soft mineral called hydrous magnesium silicate that is found throughout the world. It is crushed, dried and milled to produce powder used in cosmetic products by millions of people.

Some experts say it shares chemical similarities to asbestos, which can cause a deadly form of lung cancer called mesothelioma. Tiny particles have been found to travel up through the genital tract and been found deep inside the pelvis.

They can also last inside the body for years. It is estimated that one particle of talc in the lungs, for example, would take eight years to dissolve.

By the time ovarian cancer is diagnosed, it has usually spread or metastasized making it difficult to treat, and only 20% of women diagnosed with advanced ovarian cancer survive.

What is the Link Between Ovarian Cancer and Talcum Powder Use?

The first medical studies warning of an increased risk of ovarian cancer from talcum powder date back to the 1970’s. In 1992, The Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology published a study that found weekly use of talcum powder products increases the risk of ovarian cancer by three times. Five years later that finding was affirmed by the American Journal of Epidemiology.

In 2003, a meta-analysis of 16 previously published studies with data from almost 12,000 women concluded that perineal baby powder use increases the risk of ovarian cancer by one-third.

Five years after that, Harvard epidemiologist Dr. Margaret Gates confirmed the one-third increase and, along with two other Harvard researchers, published a study in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, providing additional documentation of the risks of cancer from talc particles in baby and body powder products.

Despite decades of medical research by professionals with impeccable credentials, talcum powder-based baby and body powders remain on the shelves of virtually every drug and grocery store in America.

Another Harvard epidemiologist, Dr. Daniel Cramer, estimates that as many as 10,000 women per year contract ovarian cancer from talcum powder use.

The disease accounts for about five per cent of cancer deaths in women. It is sometimes known as a “silent killer” because for many victims symptoms only appear once it is already fairly advanced.

Talcum Powder Cancer Lawsuits

In 2013, Johnson & Johnson lost the first talcum powder cancer lawsuit to a woman diagnosed with ovarian cancer after using Johnson’s baby powder. In the course of the baby powder cancer lawsuit, Johnson & Johnson admitted to being aware of the studies demonstrating the link between talcum powder and increased ovarian cancer risk, but didn’t believe the evidence to rise to the level where a warning was warranted.

The plaintiff in this talcum powder lawsuit stated that she would not have used the product if such a warning was present.

Lawyers across the country are reviewing potential baby powder lawsuits filed by women who feel they were injured by talcum powder, an indication that manufacturers of these products, like Johnson & Johnson can expect to see a lot more lawsuits filed against them.

In general, baby powder lawsuits are filed individually by each plaintiff and are not class actions.