Texas Talcum Powder Lawyer

Talcum powder is linked to ovarian cancer and mesothelioma. Over 60,000 lawsuits have been filed and juries have awarded over $4 billion to people who developed cancer.

Need a Texas Talcum Powder Lawyer? Collen A. Clark is a true advocate for his clients and is passionate about helping Texans that have been injured or wronged. If you or a loved one was diagnosed with ovarian cancer or mesothelioma, you should contact our lawyers immediately. You may be entitled to compensation by filing a lawsuit.

UPDATE: Johnson & Johnson Offers $8.9 Billion Settlement in Talc Lawsuits

In April 2023, Johnson & Johnson proposed an $8.9 billion settlement to resolve at least 60,000 lawsuits involving people who claim that baby powder and other talcum powder products caused their ovarian cancer or mesothelioma.

Jury Awards $4.8 Million in Old Spice Talc Mesothelioma Lawsuit

In April 2021, a 78-year-old man who was diagnosed with mesothelioma after 22 years of using Old Spice® Talcum Powder was awarded $4.8 million by a jury in Los Angeles, California. Click here to read more.

Johnson & Johnson Ends Sales of Talc Baby Powder in U.S. and Canada

In May 2020, Johnson & Johnson announced that it would end sales of talc-based Johnson’s Baby Powder in the U.S. and Canada. Since 2017, the company has been hit with over $1 billion in jury verdicts and around 25,000 lawsuits from people with cancer.

$40 Million Awarded in Talc Mesothelioma Trial

September 2019 —A jury in Los Angeles awarded $40.3 million to a 71-year-old woman who was diagnosed with mesothelioma after using asbestos-tainted Johnson’s Baby Powder and Shower-to-Shower. Click here to read more.

Jury Awards $417 Million in Talc Cancer Trial

In August 2017, a woman who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2007 after using Johnson’s Baby Powder since the 1950s was awarded $417 million by a jury in Los Angeles, California. Click here to read more.

Talcum Powder Lawsuits Centralized

With over 2,000 talcum powder lawsuits nationwide, judges have centralized all federal lawsuits involving Johnson’s Baby Powder and Shower-to-Shower a Multi-District Litigation (MDL No. 2738) under U.S. District Judge Freda L. Wolfson in the District New Jersey.

$110 Million in 5th Talcum Powder Trial

In May 2017, a jury in St. Louis awarded $110 million to a 62 year-old woman from Virginia named Louis Slemp who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2012 after using Johnson’s Baby Powder and Shower-to-Shower for over 40 years. She was too sick to attend the trial because her cancer recently metastasized. J&J’s talc supplier Imerys Talc America was also ordered to pay her $100,000.

$70 Million in 3rd Talcum Powder Trial

In October 2016, a woman from California was awarded $70 million by a jury in St. Louis. The woman was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2012 after using baby powder on her genitals for 45 years. In 2014, she filed a lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson for failing to warn her about the risk of cancer from talcum powder.

$55 Million in 2nd Talcum Powder Trial

In May 2016, a state jury in St. Louis, Missouri awarded $55 million to a woman who sued Johnson & Johnson for failing to warn about the risk of ovarian cancer from using baby powder for genital hygiene. The lawsuit (PDF) is Ristesund v. Johnson & Johnson, Case No. 1422-CC09012-01.

$72 Million in 1st Talcum Powder Trial

In February 2016 ,the family of Jacqueline Fox, an Alabama woman who died of ovarian cancer after using baby powder for 35 years was awarded $72 million by a jury in St. Louis, Missouri. Her lawyers showed the jury evidence that Johnson & Johnson was aware of concerns about cancer, but chose to increase marketing efforts toward black and Hispanic women.

What is Talcum Powder?

Talcum powder, also known as “talc,” is an ingredient in thousands of consumer products, including some types of baby powder, feminine hygiene products, sanitary napkins, contraceptives, deodorants, chafing relief products, and more.

Talcum is a mineral that is made up of the elements magnesium, silicon, and oxygen. In its natural form, talc may contain asbestos, a known human carcinogen when inhaled. However, all consumer products containing talc have been asbestos-free since 1973 in the United States.

Popular Talcum Powder Products

What is the problem?

Beginning in the 1970s, researchers noticed that tissue samples taken from some women with ovarian cancer had tiny particles of talcum. This raised concern that women who apply talcum powder to the genital area might increase their risk of ovarian cancer because the particles can travel through the vagina and into the ovaries.

Studies of Talcum Powder Cancer Risk

In 2003, the journal Anticancer Research published a meta-analysis of 16 studies involving 12,000 women that found a 33% higher risk of ovarian cancer for women who used talcum powder on their genital area.

In 2009, researchers from Harvard published a study finding that women who used talcum powder in their genital area were 36% more likely to develop ovarian cancer.

In 2013, Cancer Prevention Research published a study linking the use of talcum powder in the genital area to a 20-30% increased risk of ovarian cancer.

In 2016, Cancer Epidemiology published a study that found a 44% increased risk of ovarian cancer among black women who used talc, compared to non-users. The risk also increased over time.

In 2017, European Journal of Cancer Prevention published a meta-analysis of 24 studies involving over 300,000 women with ovarian cancer. Researchers estimated a 22% increased risk of cancer from the genital use of talcum powder.

What is the Risk?

Even if talcum powder increases a woman’s risk of ovarian cancer, the risk appears to be small. According to the American Cancer Society:

“The average woman’s lifetime risk of ovarian cancer is about 1.4%, so even with a 30% increase, her lifetime risk would be about 1.8%. Still, talc is widely used in many products, so it is important to determine if the increased risk is real. Research in this area continues.”

Talcum Powder & Endometrial Cancer

In 2010, Cancer Epidemiology published a study that found a 24% higher rate of endometrial cancer in post-menopausal women who used talcum powder genitally once a week. The conclusions were based on data from about 66,000 women and 600 cases of endometrial cancer between 1982 and 2004.

Asbestos-Tainted Talcum Powder and Mesothelioma

Talcum powder is very similar to asbestos — both are silicates, but with different crystalline structures. They are often found together in the same mines. Before the 1970s, it was not uncommon for cosmetic products to contain asbestos-tainted talcum powder.

Asbestos is a known carcinogen that looks like a bunch of needle-like splinters or fibers under a microscope. Breathing in these irritating fibers is extremely dangerous because asbestos can cause chronic inflammation in the lungs. Eventually, the fibers can also penetrate through the lining of the lungs and cause lung cancer or mesothelioma.

Talcum Powder Lawsuit News

January 19, 2017 — A lawsuit (PDF) has been filed by a man from Texas who blames baby powder for causing his wife’s death from ovarian cancer in 2014. Click here to read more.

December 3, 2015 — The New Jersey Supreme Court has approved a request to centralize over 100 lawsuits claiming that Johnson & Johnson’s talcum powder products cause ovarian cancer into a Multi-County Litigaiton (MCL). Click here to read more.

October 20, 2015 — Lawsuits involving 237 women who developed ovarian cancer after using talcum powder products have been sent back to state court in St. Louis, Missouri after Johnson & Johnson lost a bid to transfer the litigation into federal court. Click here to read more.

June 3, 2015 — About 700 women who used talcum powder and developed ovarian cancer have filed lawsuits. Click here to read more.

May 1, 2015 — Colgate-Palmolive Co. has been ordered to pay $13 million to a woman who was diagnosed with mesothelioma more than 40 years after she used “Cashmere Bouquet,” an asbestos-containing talcum powder cosmetic product. Click here to read more.

January 9, 2015 — A federal judge in Missouri has allowed conspiracy claims to proceed against Johnson & Johnson in a lawsuit accusing the drug-maker of intentionally concealing the potential cancer risks of using talcum powder. Click here to read more.

November 19, 2014 — The New Jersey Law Journal reports that a wrongful death lawsuit has been filed against Johnson & Johnson on behalf of a woman who used talc powder and developed ovarian cancer. Click here to read more.

November 6, 2014 — A team of researchers have linked asbestos in a popular talcum powder product to a case of mesothelioma, a rare but aggressive type of lung cancer. Click here to read more.

October 7, 2014 — A lawsuit involving 65 women who developed ovarian cancer after using talcum powder has been remanded to state court in Missouri. Click here to read more.

June 6, 2014 — The Madison Record reports that a woman has filed a lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson for failing to warn that talcum powder could increase her risk of ovarian cancer. The plaintiff, Lynne Cebulske, says she started using Johnson’s Baby Powder and Shower-to-Shower as a form of feminine hygiene in 1992. In March 2012, she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Click here to read more.

May 14, 2014 — Courthouse News reported that Johnson & Johnson has been hit with a class action lawsuit on behalf of Missouri residents who purchased baby powder in the last five years. Plaintiffs Denis Mikhlin and Erin Hoffman allege that the company failed to warn about the potential risk of ovarian cancer in women who use baby powder daily in the genital area. Click here to read more.

Need a Talcum Powder Lawyer in Texas?

Collen A. Clark is a true advocate for his clients and is passionate about helping Texans that have been injured or wronged.

Collen’s amazing success in the courtroom and well known dedication to his clients has earned him the recognition of his peers as one of The Top Trial Lawyers in Texas.”

The Clark Firm has assembled a team of trial lawyers with more than 100 years experience, participation in over 600 jury trials and $260 million in verdicts and/or settlements. Please use the form below to contact our Texas talcum powder lawyers for a free lawsuit review.