The law firm of Wagners is presently investigating the prospects of a class action lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson, the manufacturer of talcum Baby Powder, arising out of its alleged connection with ovarian cancer in women who use the product.
If you or a family member reside in Canada and have used Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder on a regular basis and have suffered injuries related to ovarian cancer, you may wish to contact our lawyers at Wagners to discuss your situation.
In Canada, Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder has been available since the late 1890s and has been a staple in the homes of Canadians for well over a century.
While originally introduced for use on babies and infants, Baby Powder was also touted as a product for use by females. Johnson & Johnson, through various forms of advertising, promoted their talcum powder as an essential product for use by women in their regular feminine hygiene care.
In February 2016 a jury in Missouri awarded the estate of a woman who used the Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder product, and later died from ovarian cancer, the $72 million dollars in damages. The jury found that Johnson & Johnson committed fraud, was negligent and conspired to deny any link between their product and cancer.
Several studies have been conducted over the last several decades and the results point to a link between the use of Baby Powder by women and the development of ovarian cancer.
One study, released in 1982, noted that the risk of ovarian cancer was greatly increased when women used the product in their genital region.
Another study, released in 1993, noted that talc, the main component that is contained in Baby Powder, was carcinogenic.
Over the last two decades, numerous organizations and societies have taken a proactive role to have the use of talcum powder abolished or to cause J&J to use substitute materials in its Baby Powder product. There have also been calls for strong warning labels to be introduced, recognizing the link between the development of ovarian cancer and the regular use of Baby Powder.
As recently as ten years ago, the World Health Organization, through their cancer agency, published a further study which indicated the use of talc in the perineal regions was a human carcinogen. Again, similar to the previous research conducted concerning talcum powder, the WHO study noted a significant increase in the risk of ovarian cancer in females.
Around the same time, in Canada the federal government noted in the strongest terms the high toxicity and carcinogenic nature of talc. In fact, talc has the same hazardous product designation as asbestos in Canada.
It is alarming to most Canadians to realize that a product that has been available for over 100 years and is used by many people as part of their hygienic routine has been the subject of much research, demonstrating a definite link between ovarian cancer and the use of Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder.