A California woman recently filed a lawsuit against pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson, alleging that her ovarian cancer diagnosis was caused by exposure to its popular baby powder product.

The plaintiff, Sue W., says she began using Johnson & Johnson baby powder in the area of her genitalia as part of her feminine hygiene routine in 1962, and continued this use until 2015. This was not an unusual or unexpected use of the product, the lawsuit notes, and in fact was one of its advertised uses.

Unfortunately, in March 2015, Sue first found out about her ovarian cancer diagnosis, when she was 70 years old. Sue alleges that her ovarian cancer diagnosis is a direct result of her regular use of Johnson & Johnson’s baby powder near her genitalia, due to an alleged link between talc-based powder products and the risk of ovarian cancer.

According to the lawsuit, Johnson & Johnson had access to information about the risk of using talc baby powder in this manner for decades, yet failed to adequately warn consumers about this risk, allegedly leading to Sue’s ovarian cancer diagnosis in 2015.

Sue filed her baby powder cancer lawsuit on Feb. 23, 2018 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The lawsuit was filed on multiple counts, including negligence, failure to warn, fraud, breach of express and implied warranties, and civil conspiracy, among several others.

Baby Powder and Ovarian Cancer Link

Some baby powder products are (or used to be) based off of a substance known as talc. However, studies have associated talc with a risk of cancer, and the use of talc-based powders in the genital area has been linked with an increased risk of ovarian cancer diagnosis.

While Johnson’s Baby Powder and Shower to Shower products have been a popular option for decades and have been advertised and used as feminine hygiene products, an ever-growing pile of litigation claims that the products may lead to ovarian cancer diagnosis.

Filing a Baby Powder Ovarian Cancer Lawsuit

Lawsuits allege that Johnson & Johnson failed to give adequate warning about the risk of ovarian cancer diagnosis linked with its baby powder products, and even misrepresented the safety of the products in its advertising.

If you or someone you love has used baby powder as part of a regular hygiene routine, and have since received an ovarian cancer diagnosis, you may be able to file a lawsuit. While filing a lawsuit cannot take away the pain and suffering caused by an ovarian cancer diagnosis, and cannot bring a loved one back to life, it can help to alleviate the financial burden caused by medical expenses and lost wages.

The Baby Powder Ovarian Cancer Diagnosis Lawsuit is Case No. 1:18-cv-00412-RC, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.