Johnson & Johnson is facing a new product liability claim alleging the company failed to warn the claimant against a talc cancer risk associated with their product. This baby powder cancer lawsuit was filed by a woman from South Carolina, alleging the product lacked any warning describing the talc cancer risk.

Plaintiff Gloria W. states that at no point in time did Johnson & Johnson warn her against the talc cancer risk, which would have allowed her to take precautions that may have helped mitigate the possibility.

According to the claim, Gloria had begun using Johnson & Johnson’s Baby Powder and Shower to Shower powders on a daily basis in 1972. She had reportedly used the products until 2015, in which she had applied talcum powder to her genital area for typical hygiene purposes.

Johnson & Johnson has marketed their talcum powder products for personal feminine hygiene purposes for decades, with the company encouraging women to apply the powder to their underwear lining to combat vaginal odor and wetness.

Johnson & Johnson would use marketing statements like “a sprinkle a day keeps odor away,” as well as telling women that they will feel cleaner if the powder is used in this way. With such marketing statements, women had no reason to be wary of a potential talc cancer risk and did not learn of this correlation until recently.

This was allegedly the case with Gloria, who did not learn of the talc cancer risk until around the time she was diagnosed. According to the talcum powder cancer lawsuit, Gloria had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer in August 2016 and has been contending with the disease ever since.

Gloria opted to file legal action against Johnson & Johnson, after discovering the company may have known about the alleged talc cancer risk for decades.

Overview of Talc Cancer Risk

Johnson & Johnson is currently facing major litigation backlash for the alleged talc cancer risk, with the company allegedly knowing about the possibility since at least the 1980s. Since the early 1970s, scientists have speculated that applying talcum powder to the genital area increases the risk of ovarian cancer.

The first major study to observe this alleged correlation was published in 1982, in which doctors noted that women who applied talcum powder to their genital area faced an increased incidence of ovarian cancer. There have been over 20 different studies published with similar results, each of which indicated a talc cancer risk.

Researchers believe that when talcum powder is applied to the genital area, the talc particles enter the bloodstream through the vagina and eventually embeds themselves in the ovaries. After a certain number of years, the talc particles may eventually fester into cancer cells.

At this point, it is not known why talc particles may cause ovarian cancer, but it has been noted that the talc particles have a similar nature to asbestos.

Even though the alleged talc cancer risk can be devastating to patients, Johnson & Johnson allegedly failed to warn the public. Gloria states she would not have used Johnson & Johnson’s Baby Powder and Shower to Shower powder if she had known about the alleged talc cancer risk.

This Talc Cancer Risk Lawsuit is Case No. 5:18-cv-01958-MDL, in the U.S. District Court of South Carolina, Orangeburg Division.