For years, women across Illinois and Missouri used talcum powder as part of their daily feminine hygiene routines. And why not? Because talc is a naturally-occurring mineral and there was no warning on their bottle of Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder, most believed it was a safe, natural way to reduce chaffing and freshen up throughout the day.
Years later, many of those women are currently battling the late stages of ovarian cancer, one of the rarest, but most deadly, forms of cancer for women. It was only recently that researchers uncovered that daily use of talcum powder increases one’s risk of cancer by 41 percent, although the manufacturer knew about the risk since the 1970s. In May 2020, Johnson & Johnson pulled talcum-based baby powder from store shelves in the U.S. and Canada while still denying the product’s impact on consumers.
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with ovarian cancer you believe was caused by the manufacturer’s failure to disclose information, you can join the current talcum powder mass tort lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson. Licensed in both Missouri and Illinois, the class action and mass tort attorneys of Cueto Law in Belleville can help you collect the compensation you need to cover your medical costs and damages, and just as important, hold the company accountable for the devastation they caused families like yours.
Comprised of magnesium, silicon and oxygen, talc is known for its ability to absorb moisture, making it the ideal active ingredient in many cosmetic and household products, especially baby powder and after-shower products. Boosted by clever marketing campaigns in the 1980s and 90s, 30 percent of the population has used baby powder for feminine hygiene, with 52 percent of women in the African-American community using it on a regular basis.
Unfortunately, talc particles can hold toxic levels of asbestos, and when those particles enter the genital area, they can reach the ovaries where they embed themselves. Because asbestos inflames the tissue, it can increase the woman’s risk of epithelial carcinoma, or cancer cells that grow in the lining of an organ.
Although the Food and Drug Administration prohibits any talc products containing asbestos, Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder was not issued a cancer warning because 1) it was considered a cosmetic and therefore exempt from FDA approval, and 2) it was intended for external use. This allowed Johnson & Johnson to continue selling its talcum powder as a hygiene product even though as far back as 1972, it found asbestos levels in its product were “rather high.”
While hundreds of women became sick with cancer over the next 40 years, it wasn’t until the late 2010s that the first talcum powder lawsuits were filed. Even then, Johnson & Johnson refused to put a warning label on its product, arguing “such a label would be confusing, because it (Johnson & Johnson) stood by its product.”
By the end of 2019, more than 14,000 baby powder lawsuits have been filed against Johnson & Johnson. As class action attorneys with more than 45 years of combined mass tort experience, Cueto Law is determined to help Missouri and Illinois families battling ovarian cancer hold Johnson & Johnson responsible for withholding life-threatening information from their customers to boost their own profits.
To determine if your case falls under the current mass tort requirements, contact Cueto Law at 618-277-1554. Your consultation is free, and you won’t pay throughout your case unless we collect on your behalf.
At Cueto Law, you’re more than your case—to us, you’re family. While other law firms see only billable hours, our personal injury attorneys see the struggles and worries you face each day and channel them in the courtroom so we can fight insurance companies and corporations on your behalf.
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