A Los Angeles jury awarded a 73-year-old woman $13 million in an asbestos mesothelioma lawsuit against Colgate-Palmolive Co. that alleged she developed terminal asbestos mesothelioma lung cancer from her use of Cashmere Bouquet talcum powder.

Even though an FDA study did reveal asbestos in talcum powder based products, the FDA noted an ongoing concern of talc cross-contaminated with asbestos.

The Associated Press reported that jurors in this asbestos mesothelioma lawsuit found Colgate-Palmolive to be at fault for 95 percent for plaintiff Judith W.’s fatal asbestos disease. This asbestos mesothelioma verdict also included an award for Judith’s husband, worth $1.4 million.

In his commentary on the outcome of this asbestos mesothelioma lawsuit, the plaintiff’s attorney stated: “This is an example of the legal system exposing what a company should have been honest about 50 years ago. … Judith only wanted a jury to hear the truth about this product and hopefully to help others who are similarly exposed.”

The jury found Colgate-Palmolive negligent in the company’s design, manufacturing, and sale of the asbestos-containing product, and also found that the company failed to warn consumers that this cosmetic product presented a substantial danger to their health because of the risk of asbestos mesothelioma.

What is Asbestos Mesothelioma Lung Cancer?

Asbestos mesothelioma is a rare lung cancer that develops almost exclusively after a plaintiff has had prolonged exposure to asbestos fibers. Asbestos mesothelioma lung cancer is responsible for about 4,800 deaths every year in the United States.

When a person inhales asbestos fibers, either from being exposed to asbestos-containing material on the job or because of asbestos-containing personal products, the cancer-causing particles become trapped in the lung lining. Inflammation, scarring, and tumors eventually follow, as does the eventual development of asbestos mesothelioma.

Because asbestos mesothelioma has a long latency period, most mesothelioma victims will not show asbestos mesothelioma lung cancer symptoms until 15-35 years after the first asbestos exposure, meaning an asbestos mesothelioma diagnosis is almost always a terminal one.

Many individuals have been unknowingly exposed to asbestos without their knowledge. In Judith’s case, she was unknowingly inhaling asbestos fibers from her Cashmere Bouquet talcum powder, which led to her development of asbestos mesothelioma. Many others have been exposed to asbestos-containing materials while on the job and were not notified about by their employers.

Numerous asbestos mesothelioma patients and families have chosen to pursue asbestos mesothelioma lawsuits or joined existing asbestos mesothelioma class action lawsuits, seeking damages from asbestos manufacturers and employers who knowingly exposed their workers to asbestos-containing materials and did nothing to inform or protect them from this dangerous material.