Baby powder contains talc, a natural material that, when ground, makes an absorbent substance that is so smooth, it reduces friction when applied.

Commonly used in baby powder, body powder and cosmetics, talc has been under suspicion of causing ovarian cancer since 1971, which is when talc particles were found in some ovarian cancer tumors.

Many women have used baby powder to help stay feeling fresh. It’s been sprinkled on feminine pads and applied directly to the inner thighs and genital area as a way to control odor.

Ovarian cancer is a relatively rare cancer, but it is oftentimes fatal.

But many women who have suffered from ovarian cancer claim they were never informed of the potential risk of talc-based baby powders such as those made by Johnson & Johnson.  This alleged failure to warn has prompted many women and their loved ones to file baby powder lawsuits.

Settled Baby Powder Lawsuits

Johnson & Johnson denies that its baby powder is anything less than safe, despite the fact it has lost two large baby powder lawsuits where juries decided otherwise. This year alone, juries awarded $72 million to one cancer survivor and $55 million in another case.

In the face of losing baby powder lawsuits, Johnson & Johnson insists talcum powder studies are flawed and its baby powder is not carcinogenic.

Baby Powder and Ovarian Cancer

Researchers say that cancer is difficult to study because so many other factors come in to play – genetics, environment, and behaviors can all affect our health.

Still, Harvard professor Dr. Daniel W. Cramer compared 215 women with ovarian cancer with 215 healthy women who were considered the control group. He found that women who used talcum powder were nearly twice at risk for having ovarian cancer. Women who used talcum powder on their genitals and on feminine napkins were more than three times at risk.

That Harvard study was done in 1982, and since then, nearly a dozen other studies have confirmed those results.

Dr. Steven A. Narod, a cancer genetics expert from Toronto, said that when researchers combined studies of 20,000 women, talcum powder was seen to pose a 24% risk in ovarian cancer. These numbers add validity to baby powder lawsuits.

Why Would Baby Powder Cause Ovarian Cancer?

Because talc particles are sometimes found in ovarian cancer tumors, it is thought that talc crystals creep up the genitourinary tract and into the peritoneal cavity. The ovaries are open-ended in the peritoneal cavity, and the talc crystals settle in there and cause irritation.

Another theory is that talc particles simply cause inflammation, which is one factor believed to play a major role in the development of ovarian cancer.

Talcum Powder Labels Unchanged

Surprisingly, even after research in 1990s started showing a correlation between talc and cancer, US officials have not recalled any products nor added any warning labels.

The FDA faced a petition from the Cancer Prevention Coalition in 1994 and in 2008 when the nonprofit agency was trying to convince the FDA to add talc warning labels. The FDA refuses to do so, claiming there is “no conclusive evidence” that talc causes ovarian cancer.

However, the FDA did state that talc “may elicit a foreign-body-type reaction and inflammatory response that, in some exposed women, may progress to epithelial cancers.”

Individuals who have used baby powder or other talcum powder and subsequently developed ovarian cancer may be able to file baby powder lawsuits against the manufacturer of the talc product.