A woman joins thousands of others in filing an ovarian cancer lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

According to the ovarian cancer lawsuit, Plaintiff Dewana J. accuses Johnson & Johnson of directly causing her ovarian cancer development following her use of the company’s Baby Powder product. She says that she began using the product around June 1972 until August 2016 for feminine hygiene purposes.

Dewana filed her ovarian cancer lawsuit on Aug. 7, 2018, demanding a trial by jury.

Ovarian Cancer Lawsuit Details

Dewana says that on Aug. 8, 2015, at the mere age of 43 years old, she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Along with thousands of other women, she alleges the baby powder product of specifically causing this.

According to the baby powder lawsuit, Johnson & Johnson “compelled women through advertisements to dust themselves with this product to mask odor. The bottle of ‘Johnson’s Baby Powder’ specifically targets women by stating, ‘For you, use every day to help feel soft, fresh, and comfortable.’”

The use of baby powder and Shower to Shower products were marketed for feminine hygiene. There was no warning of the risk of ovarian cancer, Dewana notes.

The ovarian cancer lawsuit was filed on multiple counts including violation of the D.C. consumer protection procedures act, negligence or wantonness, defective manufacture and design, failure to warn, negligent misrepresentation, fraud, fraudulent concealment, breach of express warranties, breach of implied warranty of merchantability, civil conspiracy, and punitive damages.

Risk of Talc Use

Thousands of lawsuits have been filed against J&J manufacturers of a baby powder product over allegations that the product causes women’s development of ovarian cancer, among other serious side effects and injuries. The accusations against the company stem from the fact that J&J’s baby powder is composed entirely of talc, a material used in industrial and commercial product applications which is known to have severe adverse side effect risks.

Although talc has been widely used for its ability to reduce friction and absorb moisture, its natural form does contain asbestos a carcinogenic substance that causes lung cancer when inhaled.

Accusations against J&J include the company knowing that talc can cause severe side effects, including ovarian cancer, but of failing to disclose this information.

In fact, the lawsuit states that in February 2006, the “International Association for Research on Cancer (IARC), part of the World Health Organization, published a paper whereby they classified perineal use of talc-based body powder as a ‘Group 2B’ human carcinogen.”

According to the lawsuit, the IARC concluded that international studies found “an increased risk in ovarian cancer in women from perineal use of talc.” They found that 16 to 52 percent of women around were using talc for feminine hygiene use and discovered that those women that used talc had an increased risk for ovarian cancer between 30 to 60 percent.

According to the American Cancer Society moreover, “It has been suggested that talcum powder might cause cancer in the ovaries if the powder particles (applied to the genital area or on sanitary napkins, diaphragms, or condoms) were to travel through the vagina, uterus, and fallopian tubes to the ovary.”

The Ovarian Cancer Lawsuit is Case No. 1:18-cv-01855, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.