Plaintiff Candace M. has filed a new lawsuit alleging that talcum powder exposure from Johnson & Johnson caused serious baby powder injuries, including the development of ovarian cancer.

Candace, a resident and citizen of New Haven County, Conn., alleges she began using Johnson & Johnson baby powder as part of a personal hygiene routine in 1976 and kept using it until 2015.

It was in March 2013 that she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, the talcum powder exposure lawsuit says.

Her lawsuit was filed on Nov. 21, 2017, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut. According to the talcum powder exposure lawsuit, Candace developed ovarian cancer as a direct result of using Johnson & Johnson’s baby powder.

The talcum powder exposure lawsuit was filed on multiple counts, including violation of the Product Liability Act, violation of the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act, Concert of Action, and Civil Conspiracy.

Ovarian Cancer Key Statistics

According to the American Cancer Society, roughly 22,440 women in the United States will receive an ovarian cancer diagnosis in 2017. About 14,080 women will have died from ovarian cancer in the same year.

A woman’s risk in developing ovarian cancer is about 1 in 75 during her lifetime, and the risk of her dying from ovarian cancer is about 1 in 100.

The Cancer Society ranks ovarian cancer as fifth in the leading cause of death in women dying from cancer. It is also a cancer that mainly develops in older women who are 63 years or older.

Overview: Johnson & Johnson Talcum Powder Exposure

There are roughly 5,000 pending lawsuits against Johnson & Johnson in federal and state court alleging that the talcum particles in the company’s baby powder caused their ovarian cancer.

Talc is a naturally occurring mineral and is found to be one of the softest minerals on earth. Talc, when finely ground, reduces friction and absorbs odor, oils, and moisture.

In its unrefined form, talc can contain asbestos. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), part of World Health Organization (WHO), had classified talc that contains asbestos as “carcinogenic to humans.”

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also said that it is unacceptable for talc, used for cosmetic purposes, to contain asbestos. Talc without asbestos is also classified as “possibly carcinogenic to humans” by the IARC, and since 1973 federal laws have required that talc products sold in the U.S. must be asbestos free.

Allegations against Johnson & Johnson assert that the company failed to warn consumers about cancer risks that can develop from use of the talc-based products. Plaintiffs further purport that Johnson & Johnson and the company’s talc supplier, Imerys Talc America, knew about the cancer-causing material but continued to sell the products without warning.

The Talcum Powder Exposure Lawsuit is Case No. 3:17-cv-01963, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut.