Talcum Powder Lawsuits

Plaintiffs in the United States have filed almost 5,000 personal injury or wrongful death lawsuits against talcum powder manufacturers, alleging that those products caused ovarian cancer in the subjects of these lawsuits. Many of these victims used the products for years, convinced by advertisements that they needed to use talcum powder for proper personal hygiene, but completely unaware of the potential risks they were exposing themselves to. If you have suffered complications due to repeated talcum powder exposure, a skilled attorney can help you pursue a talc powder injury claim. Speak with a knowledgeable lawyer to learn more about talcum powder lawsuits.

Dangers of Talcum Powder

In 1982, Dr. Daniel Cramer, an epidemiologist with Harvard University, issued findings from a study he had conducted which revealed a potential link between talc and ovarian cancer. Dr. Cramer has since published his findings from several more studies which reinforce this apparent link. In fact, his studies have concluded that when a woman regularly uses talcum powder, her risk of developing ovarian cancer increases by 30 percent—for a cancer which is normally considered rare.

Another study looking at the possible link between ovarian cancer and talc, conducted by Australian researchers in 1995, included more than 1,600 female participants. These researchers found that the risk of ovarian cancers spiked 27 percent higher for women who used talcum powder compared to women who did not.

What Did Talc Manufacturers Know?

Despite these and other studies suggesting that women who used talcum powder for personal hygiene were putting themselves in danger, manufacturers such as Johnson & Johnson appeared to ignore those conclusions and continued to advertise their powders.

However, as more and more women were diagnosed with ovarian cancer—and more and more women were dying from the disease—evidence came to light that Johnson & Johnson knew back in the 1960s that their talcum powder products increased the risk of ovarian cancer in women who used the powders in their genital area.

Not only did they not warn consumers, they kept marketing their powders as personal hygiene products to women and continue to do so to this day. The chances of curing ovarian cancer are very low. The five-year survival rate of ovarian cancer is 92 percent if found before the cancer has spread outside the ovary, but only 15 percent of women are diagnosed before the cancer has spread. Despite these dismal odds, talcum powder manufacturers continue to fail to warn women who used their products of the risks their products posed. That is why women who have developed ovarian cancer after repeated talcum use should consult attorneys that could help them pursue talcum powder lawsuits.

Working With a Talcum Powder LAwyer

Talcum powder may seem innocuous, but repeated use can result in serious complications, including ovarian cancer. If you regularly used talcum powder and were diagnosed with ovarian cancer, contact a compassionate defective product injury attorney to find out what legal recourse you may have against the powder manufacturer. If you want to know more about talcum powder lawsuits, a skilled attorney could answer your questions and help you file a claim.