Talcum Powder & Ovarian Cancer

Call our talc cancer lawyers today! (216) 600-0114

Spangenberg Shibley & Liber LLP is representing victims of ovarian cancer who used Johnson & Johnson’s Baby Powder or its Shower to Shower deodorant body powder for feminine hygiene. Both products contain large amounts of talc, a fibrous mineral that has been linked to ovarian cancer for more than 40 years. Johnson & Johnson has actively marketed these products to women for decades, yet has never warned consumers that these products could cause ovarian cancer when used as a feminine deodorant.

Johnson & Johnson's Baby Powder

J&J’s Baby Powder contains 99% talc and a small amount of fragrance. Shower to Shower, developed and sold by J&J for several decades until late 2012, contains at least 45% talc. Its advertising slogan, targeted solely to women, was “Shower to Shower each day helps keep odor away.” Suggesting that it be applied in women’s underwear as part of a regular after-shower dressing ritual, a more recent variant of that slogan is “Just a sprinkle a day helps keep odor away.” Internal J & J documents show that the company has been marketing its Baby Powder to women for this purpose for decades, and especially so to Black and Hispanic women after its Baby Powder sales began to lag in 1992.

On February 22, 2016, a St. Louis jury order Johnson & Johnson to pay $72 million (including $62 million in punitive damages) to the surviving family of Jacqueline Fox, a Black woman who had died from ovarian cancer after using J & J’s Baby Powder for feminine hygiene for many years. Evidence at that trial revealed that doctors had found the presence of talc fibers in Mrs. Fox’s ovaries.

“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.”

The jury in the Fox case found clear and convincing evidence of presumed malice on the part of Johnson & Johnson. J & J had been advised in the 1970s that it could not deny the association between talc and human cancer. More specifically, in 1994 it was aware of at least nine studies that showed a statistically significant association between hygienic talc use and ovarian cancer. In fact, they were told that “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.” Despite this, Johnson and Johnson has steadfastly refused to warn women about the risk of ovarian cancer. In fact, the evidence at the Fox trial showed that J&J has no intention of warning women about the risk of ovarian cancer in connection with the hygienic use of its Baby Powder even if the jury were to find against them—which it did.

Spangenberg talc and ovarian cancer lawyers have been handling these cases since 2014 on behalf of women who used talc-containing Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder and/or Shower to Shower and have been diagnosed with ovarian cancer. If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with ovarian cancer that may be related to the use of J&J’s talcum powder products, please fill out the form to the right. A member of the Spangenberg team will be in contact with you shortly.

Contact an attorney today about your talcum powder ovarian cancer claim - Call (216) 600-0114!