Talcum powder lawsuits alleging the product caused women to develop ovarian cancer, are moving forward, but mostly in state courts.

Among the products named in the baby powder ovarian cancer lawsuits are Johnson & Johnson’s Baby Powder or Shower-to-Shower.

Several lawsuits have been filed in federal courts, but have either been remanded to state court or were withdrawn by the plaintiffs (with the ability to be refiled). The majority of the talcum powder lawsuits are filed in Missouri and New Jersey.

The lawsuits mainly name Johnson & Johnson, Imerys Talc America, Inc. and Personal Care Products Council. These lawsuits claim consumers were not given any warnings about the possibility of talcum powder cancer.

Ovarian Cancer Allegations

The plaintiffs allege that despite evidence indicating a link between talcum powder and ovarian cancer the defendants didn’t warn or explain the no effort to warn or explain the correlation. Talcum powder has been used for generations for a variety of hygiene purposes.

When women use the products in their genital area, the talc particles can travel through the bloodstream and into the ovaries. The talc particles can stay in the ovaries for up to eight years before developing into cancer cells.

There is some evidence this connection was known as far back as the 1930s. Study after study in recent decades has confirmed the risk.

While talcum powder lawsuits have not fared well in federal court they do appear to have some traction in state courts. A New Jersey court is considering a request to consolidate talcum powder cancer lawsuits that have been filed throughout that state. At the time the motion was filed, there were at least 100 talcum powder lawsuits with 156 different plaintiffs.

Most of the ovarian cancer talcum powder lawsuits in Missouri were filed in St. Louis. Each case involves 50 to 100 different women.