Attorneys for Johnson & Johnson are heading back to a St. Louis courtroom, defending accusations that the company knew its Baby Powder could cause ovarian cancer yet refused to disclose the risk.

In February, a jury awarded $72 million to an Alabama woman who died from ovarian cancer at the age of 62. The woman in that baby powder lawsuit had allegedly used Johnson’s Baby Powder daily since her teenage years.

Thousands of women across the country have contacted attorneys about filing baby powder cancer lawsuits. Over one thousand plaintiffs have filed lawsuits in a St. Louis Circuit Court, with another 200 lawsuits filed in New Jersey state court with similar allegations.

Johnson & Johnson has continued to maintain that its product is safe to use, but consumers may be questioning if this is really the case. The American Cancer Society and other medical professionals have said that using baby powder is “probably not” dangerous unless a lot of it is used over a long period of time, but they still advise consumers to be careful.

The concerning ingredient in Johnson’s Baby powder is talc, the softest mineral on earth. Talc is comprised of magnesium, silicon and oxygen, has similar properties to asbestos, and is mined in a similar way. Talc is found in cosmetics, ceramics, plastics, rubber and even chewing gum.

Some women use baby powder in the genital area to reduce moisture and odor. Baby powder lawsuits allege that the talc particles may enter the woman’s body through the vagina and travel to other areas of the reproductive system, causing cysts and possibly cancer to form in the ovaries.

Johnson & Johnson has claimed that seventy percent of Johnson’s Baby Powder users are adults. A survey of women showed that forty percent of women use Johnson’s Baby Powder or another talc-based powder product as a part of their daily personal hygiene routine.

The American Cancer Society has stated that research studies have overall been inconclusive about the link between talcum powder and ovarian cancer, saying that a baby powder cancer link has not been proven. Some studies say there is an increased risk, while others point to no such increase.

The American Cancer Society concluded that, “Until more information is available, people concerned about using talcum powder may want to avoid or limit their use of consumer products that contain it. For example, they may want to consider using cornstarch-based cosmetic products instead. There is no evidence at this time linking cornstarch powders with any form of cancer.”

While this statement cannot conclude that there is a direct link, it may be enough, combined with the outcome of the recent jury award to the woman with cancer, to cause women to stop using baby powder for personal hygiene reasons.

A spokeswoman for Johnson & Johnson, Carol Goodrich, told CNN, “The recent U.S. verdict goes against decades of sound science proving the safety of talc as a cosmetic ingredient in multiple products, and while we sympathize with the family of the plaintiff, we strongly disagree with the outcome.” Johnson & Johnson plans to appeal the baby powder cancer jury award.