Women are Suing Johnson & Johnson by the Hundreds, Alleging the Company’s Talcum Powder Products Caused Them Ovarian Cancer

Hundreds of women are suing Johnson & Johnson (J&J) alleging the company’s talcum powder caused them ovarian cancer.

According to the website FairWarning, women who use talcum powder for personal hygiene may be putting their lives at risk. “Since the early 1980s, a slew of studies have found that women who regularly used talc powder for feminine hygiene had higher than average rates of ovarian cancer,” the site wrote. The plaintiffs in the cases accuse J&J of negligence, saying the pharmaceutical giant should have warned the public that regular use of talcum powder increases the risk of ovarian cancer, Inquisitr reports.

FairWarning says it uncovered a large number of studies that claim regular use of talcum powder increases the risk of ovarian cancer. “There are in the neighborhood of 700 [lawsuits], most of them in St. Louis and in New Jersey where Johnson & Johnson is headquartered,” FairWarning spokesman Myron Levon explained to Public Radio International (PRI) in an interview. Inquisitr viewed the transcript.

J&J’s baby powder, which contains talcum powder, has been on the market for more than 100 years and women have used the powder as a personal hygiene product for decades. According to FairWarning, research dating as far back as 1976 found toxic chemicals in talcum powder including two types of asbestos, tremolite and anthophyllite in 10 of 20 talc-based consumer products. More than 12,000 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer each year. Every year, more than 14,000 women die from the disease. “Researchers who believe there is a definite causal link estimate that talcum powder use could cause about 2,100 cases, or 10 percent, of those ovarian cancers,” Levon told PRI.

The American Cancer Society reported they found mixed results in various talcum powder studies, but FairWarning said it found 20 studies showing a link between the two and reported their findings on their website. Toxicologist Alfred P. Wehner wrote: “Anybody who denies this risks that the talc industry will be perceived by the public like it perceives the cigarette industry: denying the obvious in the face of all evidence to the contrary. This would be a particularly tragic misperception in view of the fact that the industry does have powerful, valid arguments to support its position.”

The post Women are Suing Johnson & Johnson by the Hundreds, Alleging the Company’s Talcum Powder Products Caused Them Ovarian Cancer appeared first on Parker Waichman -

from Parker Waichman http://www.yourlawyer.com/blog/women-are-suing-johnson-johnson-by-the-hundreds-alleging-the-companys-talcum-powder-products-caused-them-ovarian-cancer/