A Kansas widower says Johnson’s Baby Powder and Shower to Shower talcum powders caused the cancer that took his wife’s life.

Plaintiff Kent D. is bringing this claim as the representative of his late wife Judy.

Kent says that around 1984, Judy began using defendant J&J’s talc-based Johnson’s Baby Powder and Shower to Showerin her perineal area. She allegedly used them in that way until around 2010.

In July 2011, Judy was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. She underwent a hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, then began a course of chemotherapy, Kent says.

She died in July 2012, despite extensive efforts to eradicate her cancer.

Kent now believes that Judy’s cancer was caused by the talc in the body powders she used for so many years.

He believes that with a proper warning about the risk of ovarian cancer, Judy would have had a chance to avoid that risk, either by using an alternative product or by not using talc-based powders altogether.

Plaintiff: Johnson’s Baby Powder, Shower to Shower to Blame

Kent cites studies dating back as far as 1971 that suggest a link between the use of talcum powder in the genital area and later development of ovarian cancer.

A later study conducted in 1982 found women who reported genital talc use faced a 92 percent greater risk of ovarian cancer.

Since then, about 22 other epidemiologic studies have been conducted, almost all of which show an association between talc and ovarian cancer, Kent says.

Kent says given the available scientific evidence, J&J had a duty to warn about the associated risks. The company failed to do exactly that, he alleges.

In fact, he accuses J&J of propagating misinformation, overstating the safety of talc products while keeping the evidence of risk under wraps.

Kent says J&J targeted its talcum powder marketing specifically at women and specifically for perineal use. He quotes J&J advertisements that presented Shower to Shower as being safe and effective when used for feminine hygiene.

Kent points out that a safer alternative to talcum powder exists in the form of other body powders that are based on cornstarch. “[C]ornstarch is an organic carbohydrate that is quickly broken down by the body with no known health effects,” he alleges. Cornstarch-based powders have been marketed for the same uses as talc-based powders and provide nearly the same effectiveness, he says.

This talcum powder cancer lawsuit is brought as a survival action and a wrongful death claim, seeking compensation both for the harm done directly to Judy as well as for the losses suffered by her surviving family members, including Kent himself.

His Shower to Shower lawsuit raises claims for failure to warn, design or manufacturing defect, negligence, breaches of express and implied warranty, negligent misrepresentation, fraudulent concealment, and fraud.

He seeks judgment against J&J awarding damages to him and to Judy’s estate, plus court costs and pre- and post-judgment interest.

The Johnson & Johnson Shower to Shower Wrongful Death Lawsuit is Case No. 16-1373, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas.