Using Baby Powder? J&J Has Just Been Ordered to Pay Out Millions, Yet Again, in Cancer Pay

Using Baby Powder? J&J Has Just Been Ordered to Pay Out Millions, Yet Again, in Cancer Pay

It’s the largest sum ever awarded in a baby powder case, and it’s just the beginning of many more to come.

You may have heard the story before: older women who use Johnson and Johnson talc powder for years and go onto develop ovarian cancer are now suing J & J for millions.

While it may sound crazy, it actually isn’t just a case of the dramatically fantastical going out on a limb.

In February of 2016, a Missouri jury awarded $72m in damages to the family of Jackie Fox of Birmingham, Alabama in a broader claim that involved nearly 60 people. And this past May, Lois Slemp of Virginia, Missouri was awarded more than $110m.

The most recent verdict just clocked in at a hair raising $417m. It’s incredible and the largest sum yet to be awarded to a plaintiff in a talc case involving J & J.

California resident and ovarian cancer sufferer Eva Echeverria was the plaintiff, and it’s reported by Reuters.com to be the first of hundreds of California talc cases still waiting to go to trial.

Related: Woman With Ovarian Cancer Wins $70 Million in Case Against Johnson and Johnson

Asbestos

Johnson and Johnson has just been order to pay over $400m in a case involving baby powder and ovarian cancer.

So, what’s up with talc? Why has the world of personal hygiene gone to the dogs?

It’s simply science. At worst in its natural form, talc can cause both lung and ovarian cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, natural talc can contain asbestos, and this stuff is definitely bad news.

It can cause lung cancer if inhaled, and some studies have shown that if the powder is used in a woman’s genital area, it can travel through the vagina, and up into the uterus. It can then go on to the fallopian tubes, where it can wreak deadly havoc and cause ovarian cancer.

While J & J lawyers continue to refute the charges, it all looks awfully shady. It’s being argued successfully in court that the company was aware its talc is carcinogenic when used in the genital area, but nonetheless promoted its use for both babies and women.

Evil at its best.

The somewhat good news is that since the 1970s, talcum products used in homes have been free of asbestos. If you’re older and have used the product for years the view isn’t so rosy. If you’re new to the game though, chances are, you’re in the clear.

To date, J & J faces 4,800 talc/cancer claims throughout the United States, and the numbers seem to keep on rising.

Photo credits: gvictoria/Bigstock; LunaSea/Bigstock

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