A California woman filed a new talc powder cancer lawsuit against pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson, alleging the company’s popular Shower to Shower product caused her to develop ovarian cancer.

The plaintiff, Somjit B., says she used Johnson & Johnson’s baby powder and Shower to Shower products from birth for essentially her entire life. Sadly, Somjit was diagnosed with ovarian cancer on Feb. 17, 2017—which she alleges is a direct result of exposure to Johnson & Johnson’s talc powder products.

Indeed, Somjit claims, the company’s talc-containing powders are dangerous and capable of causing talc powder cancer for consumers who use the product in their genital area. Somjit claims that she was not adequately warned about the risk of talc powder cancer associated with this use of the product as part of a feminine hygiene routine.

The lawsuit alleges that Johnson & Johnson has been aware of this talc powder cancer risk for some time, yet failed to adequately warn consumers about it, choosing instead to conceal this knowledge and place company profit over consumer safety.

Somjit filed her talc powder cancer lawsuit on Oct. 3, 2018, in California. The lawsuit was filed on a number of counts, including failure to warn, manufacturing defect, negligence, breach of express and implied warranties, fraud, and several others. Somjit’s husband, John M., also filed on a single count of loss of consortium.

Basics of Talc Powder Cancer

Some baby powder products either are or used to be talc-based. Unfortunately, studies have linked exposure to talc powder with an increased risk of ovarian cancer. If talc powder products are used in feminine hygiene, particles can travel and embed in the fallopian tubes or ovaries, and eventually cause cancer.

Ovarian cancer is a particularly dangerous cancer, and is the fifth highest cause of cancer deaths among women. Unfortunately, ovarian cancer is generally difficult to detect in its early stages, which means it is usually diagnosed later on, when it has developed and become more severe.

Women who have suffered claim that that these products have been advertised specifically for this use for several generations of women, putting them at risk. Their lawsuits add that they were never made aware that the use of talc-based powders as part of a feminine hygiene routine (that is, in the genital area) is capable of causing ovarian cancer.

Talc Powder Cancer Lawsuits

Somjit is not the first to file a talc powder cancer lawsuit—in fact, Johnson & Johnson has faced a slew of lawsuits over this issue, now numbering in the thousands.

Johnson & Johnson has so far been ordered to pay more than $600 million in settlements to injured plaintiffs in talc powder cancer litigation. Imerys Talc has paid settlements to plaintiffs as well. 

If you or a loved one has used talc-based baby powder as part of a regular hygiene routine, and have been diagnosed with ovarian cancer, you may be able to file a lawsuit. Although filing litigation cannot undo the pain and suffering caused by talc powder cancer, and cannot bring a loved one back to life, it can at least help to compensate for the financial damages incurred by medical expenses, lost wages, and more.

Somjit’s Talc Powder Cancer Lawsuit is Case No. 8:18-cv-01788-DOC-JDE, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern Division of the Central District of California.