Johnson & Johnson faces a talc powder lawsuit alleging their baby powder contains talc that caused an ovarian cancer diagnosis and death.

Plaintiff Joseph S. has filed a suit on behalf of his deceased wife Isabel S. claiming that Isabel’s ovarian cancer diagnosis was caused by her prolonged exposure to talcum powder in Johnson’s Baby Powder.

Joseph says Isabel routinely purchased and used Johnson’s Baby Powder for use in her perineal area from 1970 to 2016. Isabel allegedly used the product daily prior to her diagnosis of ovarian cancer in 2013. The talc powder lawsuitclaims that Isabel developed ovarian cancer due to her usage of Johnson’s Baby Powder. Isabel died in June 2016 as a result of her ovarian cancer.

Talc is a natural mineral and the main substance in talcum powders. Johnson’s Baby Powder is made almost entirely from talcum powder and therefore talc. Historically, Johnson’s Baby Powder has been marketed to women as a way to mask odors and absorb moisture to eliminate friction. However, researchers believe talc particles may have a propensity to move up the female reproductive system and come into contact with uterine lining and the ovaries.

According to the talc powder lawsuit, there have been more than 20 studies since 1982 which link ovarian cancer and the genital use of talc. In 1993, the U.S. National Toxicology Program published a study on the toxicity of non-asbestiform talc and found talc to be a carcinogen, with or without the presence of asbestos fibers. In February 2006, the International Association for the Research of Cancer (IARC) published a paper classifying talc body powder as a possible human carcinogen.

Lack of Disclosure

In his talc powder lawsuit, Joseph claims that Johnson & Johnson knew that talc products could cause ovarian cancer with genital use in women yet concealed such facts and instead marketed their products as completely safe.

“[Johnson & Johnson] actively and intentionally concealed and/or suppressed material facts, in whole or in part, to induce consumers, including [Isabel], to purchase and use the products and did so at her expense,” the lawsuit states.

Joseph believes that Johnson & Johnson had a responsibility to disclose the risks of their product in an accurate and timely manner. The lawsuit accuses that “[Johnson & Johnson] knew that their concealments, misrepresentations, and omissions were material, and that they were false, incomplete, misleading, deceptive, and deceitful when they were made.”

Joseph also attributed Isabel’s eventual death to the ovarian cancer allegedly caused by their products. His lawsuit claims that “[a]s a direct and proximate result of the aforesaid negligent acts or omissions of [Johnson & Johnson], Isabel sustained injuries which resulted in her death.”

Joseph accuses Johnson & Johnson of strict liability, negligence, breach of warranty, negligent misrepresentation, fraudulent concealment, fraud, violation of consumer laws, and wrongful death. He seeks a trial by jury, damages in excess of $50,000, medical expenses, lost earnings, attorney’s fees, and court costs.

The Talc Powder Lawsuit is Case No. 1:18-cv-01298 in the U.S District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.