In a new lawsuit filed in a federal court in Illinois, a plaintiff links her former talcum powder use and ovarian cancer which was diagnosed several years later.

Plaintiff Kathleen O. joins several other plaintiffs alleging a connection between their talcum powder use and ovarian cancer. These plaintiffs have filed lawsuits against Johnson & Johnson, makers and promoters of Johnson’s Baby Powder and Shower to Shower Powder.

According to the lawsuit narrative, these products are almost entirely comprised of talc. Talc is an inorganic mineral that needs to be retrieved from the earth through a mining process.

Although the first study that made the connection between female perineal talcum powder use and ovarian cancer development was conducted in 1971, Johnson’s Baby Powder and Shower to Shower products remain commercially available.

Plaintiffs point out that cornstarch-based alternatives have been sold on the market for the same length of time. Cornstarch products are, according to the documentation, organic carbohydrates that have not been associated with ill effects. They can be broken down much more easily.

The Plaintiff’s Story

Kathleen, according to the lawsuit, used both Johnson’s Baby Powder and Shower to Shower Powder from 1948 to the late 1980s—which amount to at least 40 years. During this time, she alleges used the powders on her perineal area consistently, after being exposed to advertisements from the pharmaceutical and toiletry product giant that promoted its safety for overall body use.

She alleges she read the labels which gave no indication that either product was dangerous in any way. Kathleen indicates that for at least the last 15 years of the 40, she used the products daily in the external genital region. Her ovarian cancer diagnosis that came later in 2005 was “a direct and proximate result” of her talcum powder use, she claims.

The Alleged Suppression of Studies Connecting Talcum Powder Use and Ovarian Cancer

According to the factual section of Kathleen’s legal complaint, the doctor involved in the 1971 study which first linked talcum powder use and ovarian cancer—Dr. Cramer of Wales—warned a medical representative visiting him from Johnson & Johnson—Dr. Bruce Semple–that a label warning of his findings should be placed on the products, so female consumers could make an intelligent, informed decision regarding their own health. 

This advice was given following Dr. Cramer’s involvement in a follow-up 1982 epidemiological study which supported the initial 1971 findings with a statistically significant 92 percent risk increase of developing ovarian cancer with daily perineal use of talcum powder. The advice was not heeded then, and 22 other studies since 1982 have supported the disease relationship.

The Complainant’s Allegations

Kathleen is holding the defendant liable for concealing this study information and failing to warn her and others. Additionally, she is holding Johnson & Johnson Inc. accountable on several other causes of action among which are: defective design, breach of express and implied warranty, intentional and negligent misrepresentation, and violation of Illinois consumer fraud laws. She is asking for compensatory and statutory damages along with all costs associated with the litigation.

The Talcum Powder Use and Ovarian Cancer Lawsuit is Case No. 1:18-cv-02410 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.