Pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson is facing some 14,000 lawsuits from people claiming using its iconic Baby Powder caused them to develop cancer. Many of these lawsuits are women who have ovarian cancer. Some are men and women who claim that they have developed mesothelioma from asbestos fibers that contaminated the baby powder. The Justice Department has launched an investigation to determine if there was contamination and if Johnson & Johnson hid it from consumers. Johnson & Johnson’s primary defense is that its product does not contain asbestos and does not cause cancer. However, according to a report done by Time Magazine, it just might.
A new case study involving 33 patients that was published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine is providing some strong proof that exposure to asbestos-tainted talcum powder may cause malignant mesothelioma. It is a rare and deadly cancer that affects the tissue that lines internal organs.
This is not only an important scientific discovery; it could provide some ammunition in some of the thousands of court cases that are currently taking place.
A 2018 Reuters reports found that the company knew for decades that some of its baby powder was contaminated with asbestos but failed to report the information to the public or to regulators.
Johnson & Johnson is aggressively defending their product, but in March, a California jury awarded more than $29 million to a woman who claimed asbestos-contaminated talc contributed to her mesothelioma. In 2017, a jury awarded more than $4 billion to a group of women who claimed the talc products caused their ovarian cancer.
In the study, six of the 33 women who claimed that asbestos-laced talc caused their mesothelioma had fibers consistent with the asbestos found in talc. The fibers were not consistent with asbestos fibers found in building materials.
Have you developed cancer and believe it is linked to talc use? We can help. Call today.