A woman joins thousands of others in a talc and cancer lawsuit filed against Johnson & Johnson over allegations that the company’s baby powder product led to her development of ovarian cancer.

Plaintiff Windy D. is filing the talc and cancer lawsuit joining a growing multidistrict litigation (MDL) against the company. The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey on July 23, 2018.

According to the talc and cancer lawsuit, Windy, a resident of North Versailles, Pa., says that she began using the talcum based baby powder product in 1997 and continued its use through 2013 for perineal and personal use. She later became diagnosed with ovarian cancer on Jan. 23, 2013.

The talc and cancer lawsuit was filed on multiple counts including failure to warn, design and/or manufacturing defect, negligence, breach of express warranty, breach of implied warranty, negligent misrepresentation, fraudulent concealment, fraud, Violation of State Consumer Protections Laws of the State of New York, civil conspiracy, punitive damages, and discovery rule and tolling.

Windy demands a trial by jury.

Overview: Talc and Cancer

The main component of J&J’s Baby Powder is talc, a mineral known to be one of the softest minerals in the world today. It has been used in a variety of cosmetic products for decades particularly because of its ability to absorb moisture and reduce friction.

However, researchers believe that when a woman uses talc near her genital area, the mineral can travel from a woman’s genital area to the ovaries and become embedded in her tissues. Although soft, the mineral, once embedded, can become very difficult to remove.

Several studies have linked talcum powder to ovarian cancer, advising that ovarian cancer development may be especially likely if talcum powder sweeps through the vagina, uterus, and fallopian tubes, to the ovaries.

The first study was published in The Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology of the British Commonwealth in 1971. According to the small study, it found that talc particles were found in 75% of ovarian and cancer tumors removed from 13 separate women.

Another study published in the European Journal of Cancer Prevention discovered a “weak but statistically significant association between genital use of talc and ovarian cancer.”

Any substance that causes cancer is called a carcinogen and The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), part of the World Health Organization (WHO), has classified talc as “carcinogenic to humans.”

The talc and cancer lawsuit is filed as part of a large MDL centered on allegations that J&J’s Baby Powder causes ovarian cancer and that the company knew of this adverse side effect all along but failed to warn and inform consumers.

The company is currently battling more than 9,000 lawsuits in state and federal courts. If you or someone you know have been diagnosed with ovarian cancer, you may be eligible for compensation and recoveries for your damages.

The Talc and Cancer Lawsuit is Case No. 3:18-cv-11935-FLW-LHG, in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. The Johnson & Johnson Talc Powder MDL is in re: Johnson & Johnson Talcum Powder Products Marketing, Sales Practices, and Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 16-2738, in U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey