Talcum powder (talc) is an ingredient in baby powder and other cosmetics. Talc is linked to a risk of ovarian cancer in women. Talc is also linked to mesothelioma when it contains asbestos.
What You Can Do & How We Can Help
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting talcum powder induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Product Liability Litigation Group or call us toll-free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
UPDATE: Johnson & Johnson Offers $8.9 Billion Talc Settlement
In April 2023, Johnson & Johnson offered to pay an $8.9 billion settlement to resolve about 60,000 lawsuits involving people who developed mesothelioma or ovarian cancer after using talcum powder products.
Jury Awards $4.8 Million in Old Spice Mesothelioma Lawsuit
In April 2021, a jury awarded $4.8 million to a man who developed mesothelioma after 22 years of using Old Spice Talcum Powder that was contaminated with asbestos.
J&J Reserves $4 Billion for Talc Cancer Lawsuit Settlements
February 2021 — Johnson & Johnson announced that it has reserved $4 billion for talc lawsuit settlements. The company is still waiting on a last-ditch appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court for a $2.1 billion jury verdict in favor of 22 women with ovarian cancer who used talcum powder. J&J is facing around 25,000 talcum powder cancer lawsuits, and the number of lawsuits is still growing.
Johnson & Johnson Ends Sales of Baby Powder in U.S. and Canada
Johnson & Johnson announced that it will end sales of Johnson’s Baby Powder with talcum powder in the U.S. and Canada due to declining sales and “misinformation around the safety of the product and a constant barrage of litigation advertising.”
Jury Awards $40 Million in Talc Mesothelioma Trial
In September 2019, jury in California awarded $40 million to Nancy C., a woman who developed mesothelioma after using Johnson’s Baby Powder and Shower-to-Shower that she claims were contaminated with asbestos particles. Click here to read more.
J&J Pays Settlements to Avoid Baby Powder Cancer Trials
April 2019 — Johnson & Johnson paid confidential settlements to 3 women with mesothelioma who used baby powder and other talc products that were contaminated with asbestos. Click here to read more.
J&J Slammed With $37M Talc Verdict
April 6, 2018 — A jury awarded $37 Million to man who developed mesothelioma after using talcum powder manufactured by Johnson & Johnson for several decades. Click here to read more.
California Jury Awards $417 Million in Baby Powder Trial
In August 2017, a woman who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2007 after using Johnson’s Baby Powder since the 1950s was awarded $417 million by a jury in Los Angeles, California. Click here to read more.
Talcum Powder Lawsuits Centralized in MDL
With over 2,000 baby powder lawsuits nationwide, judges have centralized all federal lawsuits involving Johnson’s Baby Powder and Shower-to-Shower a Multi-District Litigation (MDL No. 2738) under U.S. District Judge Freda L. Wolfson in the District New Jersey.
$110 Million Awarded in 5th Talcum Powder Trial
In May 2017, a jury in St. Louis, Missouri awarded $110 million to Louis Slemp, 62, a woman from Virginia who developed ovarian cancer after 40 years of using Johnson & Johnson’s talcum powder products, including baby powder and Shower-to-Shower.
$200 Million Awarded in St. Louis Talcum Powder Trials
- $70 Million — In October 2016, the 3rd trial in St. Louis ended in a $70 million award to a woman who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer after using talcum powder on her genitals for 45 years.
- $55 million — In May 2016, the 2nd trial in St. Louis awarded $55 million to a woman who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer after using talcum powder for genital hygiene for nearly 40 years.
- $72 million — In February 2016, the 1st trial over talcum powder in St. Louis ended in a $72 million jury award to the family of a woman from Alabama who died of ovarian cancer.
$13 Million Awarded in Talc Mesothelioma Lawsuit
In May 2015, Colgate-Palmolive Co. has been ordered to pay $13 million to a woman who was diagnosed with mesothelioma more than 40 years after she used “Cashmere Bouquet,” an asbestos-containing talcum powder cosmetic product. Researchers have linked asbestos in talcum powder to mesothelioma, a rare but aggressive type of lung cancer.
What is Talc?
Talc is a silicate mineral comprised of magnesium, silicon, and dioxide. In its natural form, talcum also contains asbestos, a known human carcinogen. However, all consumer talcum products became asbestos-free in 1973.
What is Talcum Powder?
Talcum powder is best-known as an ingredient in baby powder. It is also an ingredient in thousands of cosmetics, feminine hygiene products, contraceptives (condoms and diaphragms), deodorants, anti-chafing products, and more.
Popular Talc Products
- Johnson’s Baby Powder
- Shower-to-Shower (Johnson & Johnson)
- Cashmere Bouquet (Colgate-Palmolive)
- Clubman Pinaud Talc
- McKesson Baby Powder
- Gold Bond Medicated Powder
- Nivea Pure Talc
- Old Spice Talcum Powder
Why Do Women Use Talc?
Some women apply talcum powder to the genital region as a way to keep skin dry and reduce friction. The problem is that particles of talc can potentially enter the vagina and travel to the uterus, Fallopian tubes, and ovaries. This could potentially cause inflammation and increase the risk of cancer.
How Long Have Experts Known About the Risk?
The first study linking talcum powder and ovarian cancer was published in the 1970s, when researches who examined cancerous ovarian tissue discovered talc fibers. Since then, numerous studies have been published, but experts do not agree that there is a causal connection between the genital use of talcum powder and ovarian cancer.
Studies Linking Talcum Powder and Cancer
- Anticancer Research (2003) — Meta-analysis of 16 studies found a 33% increased risk of ovarian cancer from perineal talcum powder use, but no causal relationship.
- Cancer Epidemiology (2008) — Harvard researchers compared 1,400 women with ovarian cancer to 1,800 health women and linked the use of talcum powder with a 36% increased risk of ovarian cancer.
- Cancer Prevention Research (2013): Use of talcum powder in the genital area associated with a 20-30% increased risk of ovarian cancer.
- European Journal of Cancer Prevention (2017): Meta-analysis of 24 studies involving over 300,000 women estimated a 22% increased risk of ovarian cancer from the genital use of talcum powder.
Black Women Have Higher Risk of Cancer
In May 2016, Cancer Epidemiology published a study of black women who used talcum powder for genital hygiene. Compared to non-users, women who used talc had a 44% increased risk of ovarian cancer and the risk increased over time. Click here to read more.
What is the risk?
However, the American Cancer Society cautions that even if talcum powder increases the risk of ovarian cancer, the chances are still small:
“The average woman’s lifetime risk of ovarian cancer is about 1.4%, so even with a 30% increase, her lifetime risk would be about 1.8%. Still, talc is widely used in many products, so it is important to determine if the increased risk is real. Research in this area continues.”
Talcum Powder & Endometrial Cancer
Endometrial cancer is the most common type of uterine cancer. In 2010, a study of around 66,000 women found a 24% increased risk of endometrial cancer among post-menopausal women who reported using talcum powder once a week. The study was published by Cancer Epidemiology in 2010.
Talcum Powder & Mesothelioma
Talc is a mineral that is very similar to asbestos and often found in the same mines. Before the 1970s, it was not uncommon for cosmetic products containing talcum powder to also contain tiny amounts of asbestos. When consumers used these powders, they may have inhaled asbestos. Unfortunately, asbestos is extremely irritating to tissues in the throat and lungs. Over time (sometimes up to 40 years later) the irritated tissues can become cancerous and cause mesothelioma.
Hundreds of Lawsuits Filed After 1st Trial Ends in Loss for J&J
In October 2013, the first talcum powder lawsuit went to trial against Johnson & Johnson. The plaintiff, 56 year-old Deane Berg, used Shower to Shower for 30 years before developing ovarian cancer in 2006. No damages were awarded, but the jury agreed that Johnson & Johnson failed to warn Ms. Berg about the risk.
In June 2014, another woman with ovarian cancer filed a lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson. The plaintiff says she started using Johnson’s Baby Powder and Shower-to-Shower as a form of feminine hygiene in 1992. In March 2012, she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. By June 2014, about 700 women who used talcum powder and developed ovarian cancer had filed lawsuits.
Do I have a Talcum Powder Lawsuit?
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting talcum powder induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Product Liability Litigation Group or call us toll-free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
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