A baby powder wrongful death lawsuit has been filed, alleging Johnson and Johnson knew about the association between cancer and their talc-based products for years and did nothing to warn the public.

Plaintiff Joseph M. is filing the baby powder wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of his deceased wife Pamela M., who used the company’s talc-based powders on a regular basis. One of these uses included applying the powder to her genital area.  This is a typical use for the talcum powder products, as women were allegedly encouraged to do so by Johnson & Johnson’s advertisements. Pamela also used the talcum powder products on a regular basis from 1958 to 2015 for a variety of other hygienic purposes.

Pamela’s regular use of the talc-based powder allegedly resulted in her diagnosis of ovarian cancer, which eventually killed Pamela on August 10, 2015. Joseph filed this baby powder wrongful death lawsuit, after discovering there were numerous studies indicating talc could be a carcinogen and that the company was allegedly made aware of these inquiries.

Overview of Baby Powder Cancer Correlation

The potential link between talcum powder and ovarian cancer was first observed in the 1970s, when a study noted talc particles were found in a number of ovarian cancer victims. Since 1982, there have been 22 studies conducted that have found similar results of talcum powder increasing the risk of ovarian cancer.

Researchers suspect that when talc-based powders are applied to the woman’s genital area, talc particles enter the body and eventually embed themselves in the ovaries. Years later, the particles may trigger the development of cancer cells.

The nature of talc particles has been compared to asbestos in the past, which has further raised a concern for potential medical problems. This could be troubling for Johnson & Johnson, as talc-based powders are one of the company’s longest running hygiene products.

Talc is a mineral that has a long history of being used for hygienic purposes, with Johnson & Johnson marketing it for such purposes for generations. The company has marketed their talcum baby and shower-to-shower powders for a variety of hygiene purposes, ranging from treating dry skin to diaper rash.

However, this has allegedly resulted in numerous wrongful death cases, from loved ones claiming the company’s talcum powder products caused ovarian cancer. Joseph is one of these claimants, alleging the company either knew or should have known about their product’s alleged link to ovarian cancer.

Joseph states his wife used the product according to the instruction label, which allegedly contained no mention of the potential for ovarian cancer. Joseph states Pamela never would have used Johnson & Johnson’s baby powder if she had known the product’s alleged link to ovarian cancer.

Joseph is filing this baby powder wrongful death lawsuit seeking multiple damages and asserts multiple counts of negligence and failure to warn.

This Baby Powder Wrongful Death Lawsuit is Case No. 1:17-cv-06791 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.