A man has filed a Johnsons Baby Powder lawsuit after he lost his wife to metastatic ovarian cancer.

Plaintiff Frank R. says his wife Sandra was born in 1941 and purportedly used Johnsons Baby Powder and Shower to Shower products nearly her entire life. Her mother applied the products to her when Sandra was an infant, Frank claims, and Sandra continued to use talc-based Johnsons Baby Powder and Shower to Shower powder even after her diagnosis of ovarian cancer in December 1997.

At that time and during the years prior, the lawsuit alleges there was never a warning label or other indication that would have alerted Sandra that the talc-based powders could cause ovarian cancer.

Sandra died in June 2016 because of metastatic ovarian cancer. According to the Johnsons Baby Powder lawsuit, Sandra suffered through at least 10 different invasive procedures to evaluate, biopsy or remove cancerous tissues.

Johnsons Baby Powder Alleged Talc Dangers

Johnson & Johnson is accused of knowing the use of talcum powder-based products in the perineal area increases the risk of ovarian and uterine cancer, but of failing to warn consumers of the increased risk. The Johnsons Baby Powder lawsuit alleges that if Sandra would have known her risk of developing cancer significantly increased by using the products, she would have never used them.

Johnsons Baby Powder do not contain a warning regarding the alleged increased risks of ovarian and uterine cancer even today. The product continues to be marketed and advertised as safe and gentle for women to use.

At the advertisement for Johnsons Baby Powder at johnsonsbaby.com, indications for “How & When to Use” say the following: “For baby, use after every bath and diaper change. For you, use anytime you want skin to feel soft, fresh and comfortable.”

The only “safety tip” on the page regards avoiding inhalation of the powder because it can cause breathing problems and to avoid contact with the eyes.

The Johnsons Baby Powder lawsuit alleges that clinical studies show talc products can creep into the female reproductive system when applied to the perineal area. When talc fibers reach the ovaries and the endometrial lining of the uterus, they stay there and cause irritation–and eventually, cancer.

The Johnsons Baby Powder lawsuit presents a 2008 study of more than 3,000 women that “found a general 36% statistically significant increased risk of epithelial ovarian cancer from genital talc use and a 60% increased risk of the serous invasive ovarian cancer subtype.”

The study, which was published in September 2008 by Gates M.A., et. al., also determined that there is a corresponding relationship between the doses of talc and the probability of ovarian cancer diagnosis.

The Johnsons Baby Powder lawsuit alleges, “The study also found a strong dose-response relationship between the cumulative talc exposure and incidence of ovarian cancer, adding further support to the causal relationship.”

The Johnsons Baby Powder Lawsuit is Case No. 1:18-cv-00622-LJV in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York.