Johnson & Johnson and Imery’s Talc America, the company that supplies Johnson & Johnson with talc for its products, have been hit with a lawsuit alleging that a customer who used the Johnson & Johnson’s talc powder for intimate hygiene for many years developed ovarian cancer as a result of the talc in the baby powder.

The talc cancer lawsuit alleges that Johnson & Johnson intentionally failed to warn consumers of the known link between talc powder and ovarian cancer.

Talc cancer lawsuit plaintiff Maria C. alleges she used Johnson & Johnson baby powder almost daily for intimate hygiene purposes between 1979 and 2012. In June 2012, she was diagnosed with fallopian tube cancer and ovarian cancer at the age of 46.

She alleges that during this time, Johnson & Johnson and Imery’s Talc concealed knowledge that regular talc use for intimate hygiene purposes increases women’s risk of developing ovarian cancer.

According to Maria, her use of Johnson & Johnson’s baby powder was consistent with its intended use, citing the company’s ad slogan that “a sprinkle a day keeps odor away” and “your body perspires in more places than just under your arms. Use SHOWER to SHOWER to feel dry, fresh, and comfortable throughout the day.”

She argues that her use of the product was within the bounds of normal use and that reasonable consumers would be led to believe that a product would be safe to use as advertised.

According to the baby powder ovarian cancer lawsuit, the first study that suggested a link between talc powder and ovarian cancer was published in 1971. Allegedly, in 1994, the company received a request from the Cancer Prevention Coalition to cease their use of talc powder or at least warn consumers about talc’s dangers, but Johnson & Johnson did not warn its consumers or cease to use talc in its products.

The talc powder lawsuit alleges that Johnson & Johnson and Imery’s Talc America had a vested interest in preventing consumers from knowing about the carcinogenic nature of talc, and in hindering research that revealed its carcinogenic nature.

The talc powder lawsuit states that both Johnson & Johnson and Imery’s Talc USA were key contributors to the United States National Toxicology Program’s Talc Interested Party Task Force (TIPTF), the stated purpose of which is to “pool financial resources … in an effort to collectively defend talc at all costs and to prevent regulation of any type over this industry.” Johnson and Johnson and Imery’s Talc and were instrumental in defending talc against numerous epidemiological studies that linked genital talc use to ovarian cancer.

The talc cancer lawsuit says that “the TIPTF hired scientists to perform biased research regarding the safety of talc, bears of the TIPTF edited scientific reports of the scientists hired by this group prior to the submission of these scientific reports to governmental agencies, members of the TIPTF knowingly released false information about the safety of talc to the consuming public, and used political and economic influence on regulatory bodies regarding talc.”

The talc cancer lawsuit alleges that Johnson & Johnson and Imery’s Talc invested significantly in obscuring evidence that linked talc to ovarian cancer because if the general public knew of the link, sales of talc would be negatively impacted, and would thus impact the two companies’ profits.

The talc powder lawsuit states that though in 2006, Imery’s Talc added a warning label on the talc it sold to Johnson & Johnson after the Canadian government classified talc as “very toxic” and “cancer-causing,” but Johnson & Johnson did not pass a similar warning on to its consumers.

The Johnson & Johnson Talc Cancer Lawsuit is Case No. 1:18-cv-00205, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.