07 May, 2017
A Missouri court ruled in favor of a woman from Virginia who sued Johnson & Johnson (J&J) over claims that the talc in its baby powder product caused her ovarian cancer.
Slemp who was too ill to attend the trial and is now undergoing chemotherapy after her ovarian cancer initially diagnosed in 2012 returned and spread to her liver claimed that the talc was contaminated with asbestos. The cancer has since spread to her liver.
Surprisingly, this isn't the first time the brand known for manufacturing consumer products especially for babies has been accused of using carcinogenic ingredients in its talcum powder.
About 2,000 women in the United States have filed similar suits against the company over health damage caused by extended use of Johnson & Johnson talcum powder use.
"They chose to put profits over people, spending millions in efforts to manipulate scientific and regulatory scrutiny", said Ted Meadows, a Beasley Allen lawyer representing Stemp and other similar plaintiffs, in a statement. The verdict came against h...
The softest of minerals, it is made up mainly of the elements magnesium, silicon, and oxygen and is crushed into a white powder.
Talcum powder products contain the mineral talc that can absorb moisture and prevent chafing and rash.
In its natural form, talc contains some asbestos, which can "cause cancers in and around the lungs when inhaled", according to the American Cancer Society. But about two dozen smaller studies over three decades have mostly found a modest connection - a 20% to 40% increased risk among talcum powder users.
Based on the results of several studies, even if talcum powder increases the risk of ovarian cancer, it will only increase the risk by a third and since ovarian cancer is a rare disease, it will affect even fewer women.
One large study published in June 2016 that followed 51,000 sisters of breast cancer patients found genital talc users had a reduced risk of ovarian cancer, 27 percent lower than in nonusers.
Dr. Francisco Xynos, a gynecologic oncologist at SSM Health St. Mary's Hospital in St. Louis, told CBS affiliate KMOX that the scientific evidence of a cancer link is weak. That is when she started to blame Johnson & Johsnon. In 2006, the International Agency for Research on Cancer had identified talc as a possible carcinogen and a possible cancer risk factor.
