A woman and her husband have filed a talcum powder mesotheliomalawsuit against a number of companies affiliated with the talcum powder industry.

Plaintiffs Teresa B. and Robert B. allege Teresa developed terminal talcum powder mesothelioma as a result of using talc-based powders that were tainted with asbestos particles.

Teresa said she was diagnosed with talcum powder mesothelioma in July 2017. Mesothelioma is a cancer of the lining of an organ, most often, the lining of the lungs. Asbestos fibers that are ingested or inhaled deep into the tissue, causing inflammation that lasts for years. Symptoms of mesothelioma may not appear for 10 to 50 years after exposure to asbestos.

Asbestos was popular during the industrial revolution because of its heat resistant and fire resistant properties. It became the choice material for insulation in buildings, ships, even fire-protective clothing. Asbestos became known as a carcinogen in the 1930s, but according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, an unusually high risk of early death was detected among those working with asbestos as early as 1918.

Shipyards, auto shops, power plants, construction sites and commercial manufacturing factories all used asbestos in their industrial work. Any worker who was employed at one of these job sites before 1980 probably was exposed to asbestos-based products.

Common household products used asbestos as an insulator. Toasters and hair dryers are among the more than 3,000 consumer products that used to contain asbestos. Some of these might still be used by unsuspecting consumers today.

According to the U.S. Office of Compliance, nearly 45,000 people have died of asbestos-related diseases since new asbestos guidelines went into effect in 1979. No amount of asbestos exposure has been deemed safe.

When mining for talc, asbestos usually occurs naturally in the same geographic area. Some talc used to contain asbestos, but talc products in the U.S. allegedly have been free of asbestos since the 1970s.

Still, asbestos particles that contaminate products are invisible to the naked eye and can still cause mesothelioma cancer.

Talcum Powder Mesothelioma Lawsuit Allegations

Teresa alleges that from 1957 to 2000, she used asbestos-contaminated talcum powder made by GlaxoSmithKline as part of her daily hygienic routine. GlaxoSmithKline LLC is named individually and as a successor-in-interest to Yardley of London Inc.

Throughout other time periods, Teresa allegedly used Johnson & Johnson talcum powders that received their talc from Imerys Talc America Inc., formerly known as Luzenac America Inc., United Sierra Talc Co., and Cyprus Amax Minerals Company.

Teresa alleges in her talcum powder mesothelioma lawsuit that the talc-based products “were unreasonably dangerous”  because they allegedly contained asbestos fibers, which were not part of the intended design nor could the talc-based powders perform as safely as intended because of the alleged asbestos contamination.

The Talcum Powder Mesothelioma Lawsuit is Case No. CACE-18-014125, in the Circuit Court of the 17 Judicial Circuit in and for Broward County, Florida.