Talcum Powder & Ovarian Cancer

TALCUM POWDER FOR FEMININE HYGIENE & OVARIAN CANCER

PRODUCT CAUSING INJURY: TALCUM POWER FOR FEMININE HYGIENE

Johnson’s baby powder, Shower to Shower

MANUFACTURER: Johnson & Johnson [“J&J”]

INJURY: Consistent genital application of talcum powder has been shown to cause cases of Ovarian Cancer from the migration of the talc into the vagina, up into the ovaries; pathologists’ have found talc particles in tumor tissues extracted from cancerous ovaries.

MEDICAL & EPIDEMIOLOGIAL STUDIES SUPPORT AN ASSOCIATION BETWEEN TALCUM POWDER USE IN THE GENITAL AREA & OVARIAN CANCER

Talc is magnesium trisilicate, mined from the earth and is the main substance in Talcum powder. It is used in cosmetics and has Industrial uses. It was heavily marketed in the 1950’s & 1960’s for feminine hygiene, with ads like “a sprinkle a day keeps the odor away.” Many young women grew up with mothers who used talcum powder on their genital areas as part of their daily feminine hygiene and these young women used these talc powders as their mothers taught them.
There are more than 20 epidemiologic studies supporting an association between talc powder use in the genital area & ovarian cancer.
The National Cancer Institute’s PDQ on Ovarian Cancer Prevention, notes under “Key Points” that:
“The use of talc may increase the risk of ovarian cancer. Talcum powder dusted on the perineum [the area between the vagina and the anus] may reach the ovaries by entering the vagina.

WHEN DID JOHNSON & JOHNSON KNOW THAT THEIR TALC PRODUCTS WERE ASSOCIATED WITH OVARIAN CANCERS? WHEN SHOULD THEY HAVE WARNED WOMEN ABOUT THESE RISKS?

By at least 1971, J&J should have known that cancer researchers published the first report of talc found in tumors from cancerous ovaries & cervical tissues. In 1982 a case control study was performed on patients with ovarian cancer and talc, finding that genital exposure to talc increased the relative risk of ovarian cancer to 1.92 [P <0.003].
Starting in 1988, J&J documents noted that “Retrospective studies have implicated talc use in the vaginal area with the incidence of ovarian cancer.”
In 1992, Dr. Bernard Harlow, a leading ovarian cancer researcher from Harvard Medical School, published a comprehensive study of the link between talc & ovarian cancer — finding a threefold [3X] increase in ovarian cancer in women using talc in the genital area as a daily habit.
In 1994, J&J’s CEO was notified by a member of the Cancer Prevention Coalition that a wide range of scientific studies dating back to the 1960’s shows that the frequent use of talcum powder in the genital area poses a serious risk of ovarian cancer. J&J was urged to put this information on their product label to warn women about this risk — but they did not.
IARC [2006] – Material Data Safety Sheet on Talc: “Carcinogenic Status: IARC… has concluded that perineal use of talc based body powder is possibly carcinogenic to humans [Group 2B]. This is not a route of exposure relevant for workers and applies to one specific use of talc only.”
J&J continues to deny the obvious, deny the published science and refuses to warn women about the risks using talc for feminine hygiene poses. Reminds me of the tobacco industry’s decades long denial that cigarettes were addictive or that cigarettes cause cancer.
J&J only warns consumers who purchase their talc products that it should be kept away from babies faces – nothing about not putting it on girl babies bottoms or womens’ genital areas.
SAFER ALTERNATIVES TO TALC – CORNSTARCH POWDER-NOT ASSOCIATED WITH OVARIAN CANCER
J&J could have substituted cornstarch powder for the Talc in its products decades ago & should have been warning women about the risk of using talc in the genital area. In fact, this was suggested in an 2008 article by Margaret Gates, ScD, research fellow at Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA.

LITIGATION & VERDICTS

Cases are being filed all over the country and a recent verdict of $55 million was awarded in May, 2016 for a women who developed ovarian cancer after decades of using J&J’s talc powder on her genitals.
We are investigating cases of Ovarian Cancer following genital application of Talcum powder. Please spread the word to other women you know who may be using a talc product for feminine hygiene & encourage them to stop using a talc product. If you or a loved one have experienced a diagnosis of ovarian cancer and used a talc product, please call today for your free evaluation as you have limited amount of time to protect your rights.