Talcum Powder Verdict Serves as Beacon of Hope

20,000 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer each year, and approximately 1,500 of those cases originate from talcum powder use. This week’s landmark talcum powder ovarian cancer lawsuit judgement, requiring Johnson & Johnson to pay a $72 million talcum powder settlement, brings new awareness to a silent and deadly risk.

Friday, February 26, 2016 - Researchers have been saying for decades that using talcum powder for feminine hygiene, as is the daily habit for many American women, increases a woman's risk for developing ovarian cancer. Multiple studies have illuminated the original talcum powder cancer findings in the 1970s. Yet the topic has been clouded by doubt and denial - until now.

A St. Louis jury made history this week, handling down the first talcum powder lawsuit settlement to the tune of $72 million in actual and punitive damages in the case of Jackie Fox. Ms. Fox, deceased, sought to bring awareness to the problem, according to her son and representative, so that women around the nation would learn of the danger of talcum powder.

If researchers have known about the talcum powder ovarian cancer connection for decades, why is the public only learning it now? The talcum powder verdict this week is illuminating; Johnson & Johnson was found guilty of charges of negligence, failure to warn, fraud, and conspiracy. The personal care product giant, in order to protect its reputation and its bottom line, actively engaged in a strategy to conceal and bury cancer risk information, confirmed the St. Louis jury. The talcum powder lawsuit verdict makes clear that talcum powder does cause ovarian cancer, and brings to light J&J's long term decision to choose profits over consumer safety.

Internal company documents indicate the company targeted Hispanic and African American women as the chief demographic using talc-containing body fresheners. Thus, talcum powder advertising was aimed at women of color, encouraging a daily habit of talc dusting. Unknowingly, countless American women have been exposing themselves to the risk of ovarian cancer on a daily basis. It is for these abhorrent and conscious actions that the jury cracked down on J&J so decisively this week.

This case was the first to go to trail from among approximately 50 plaintiffs who filed suit together in Missouri. More talcum powder lawsuit settlements are expected as other plaintiffs go before juries this year. Around 1200 cases are pending around the nation at this point, centralized in St. Louis and in New Jersey, where J&J is based. With the talcum powder ovarian cancer verdict now a subject of national news, many more cases are anticipated in the coming weeks and months.

Information provided by TalcumPowderCancerLawsuit.com, a website devoted to providing news about talcum powder ovarian cancer lawsuits, as well as medical research and findings.