Talcum Powder Cancer Lawsuit in Raleigh, North Carolina
Have you been diagnosed with ovarian cancer after regular use of talcum powder? You may have a right to file a talcum powder lawsuit and demand compensation for your medical expenses related to your cancer treatment. A court recently ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay more than $2 billion to women who developed ovarian cancer, saying the company knew its baby powder contained cancer-causing asbestos. The company announced that it was discontinuing the sale of baby powder made of talc in the United States.
The attorneys at Hardison & Cochran are assisting people in North Carolina with talcum powder cancer lawsuits. When manufacturers put profits ahead of safety and their products cause harm, the manufacturers should be held accountable. Our attorneys are committed to helping injured consumers pursue a talcum powder cancer lawsuit. If you or your loved one has been diagnosed with cancer and you regularly used Johnson & Johnson talcum powder, you may have a right to bring a Johnson & Johnson talcum powder lawsuit.
At Hardison & Cochran, we offer a free case review to discuss whether your cancer diagnosis meets the talcum powder lawsuit criteria. If you have a valid claim, we can handle the lawsuit for you on a contingency fee basis, so you will not have any out-of-pocket costs.
You will not owe a legal fee unless we are successful in obtaining a talcum powder lawsuit settlement or a court award. We are proud to use our legal skills to help people who come to us for legal assistance. Call to find out how we can help with a talcum powder lawsuit.
Does Talcum Powder Cause Cancer?
Yes, because talcum powder is made from talc, a soft mineral that is mined from underground and it may be contaminated by naturally occurring veins of asbestos, another mineral found in the ground, when pulverized into fine particles for use in personal hygiene products to absorb moisture. Asbestos is a known cause of cancer.
If the underground deposits of talc are not carefully selected, asbestos may be present on the final product.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), part of the World Health Organization, categorizes talc contaminated with asbestos as carcinogenic to humans.
The agency classifies the regular use of talc-based talcum powder in the genital area as a possible cause of cancer in humans. The agency said there was an “unusually consistent increased chance of developing ovarian cancer among women who reported using talcum powder in the genital area.”
Some manufacturers have added warning labels to their talc-based products.
In 1994, the Cancer Prevention Coalition contacted Johnson & Johnson in writing and urged the company to take its talc products off the markets or at least add consumer warning labels about the risk of ovarian cancer. The company refused to add warning labels.
In 2018, the Food and Drug Administration began testing certain cosmetics and consumer products for the presence of asbestos. In 2019, the FDA alerted consumers that its product testing had found asbestos in a sample of Johnson’s Baby Powder. Johnson & Johnson recalled the lot of baby powder and later took further steps.
In May 2020, Johnson & Johnson announced that it was discontinuing sales of talc-based Johnson’s Baby Powder in the U.S. and Canada. Johnson & Johnson maintains that the talc-based powder is safe.
As of August 2020, Johnson & Johnson faces more than 20,000 talcum powder cancer lawsuits pending in U.S. District Court. The lawsuits are centralized in the federal court for the District of New Jersey as part of a multi-district litigation for more efficient handling of the pre-trial phases of the cases.
Who Can File a Talcum Powder Lawsuit?
As our knowledgeable attorneys at Hardison & Cochran meet with people to discuss the possibility of filing a talcum powder cancer lawsuit, we look for certain facts that can support a claim.
We review the type of talc-based product the individual used and the duration of the use. If a person used Johnson’s Baby Powder for an extended period of time, he or she is more likely to be at risk.
We look at the medical diagnosis of the type of cancer that the person has developed and whether it is one associated with use of talcum powder products.
- Ovarian cancer—Women who used products containing talc on a regular basis and developed epithelial ovarian cancer may have a right to file a talcum powder ovarian cancer lawsuit. Epithelial ovarian cancer develops in the tissue covering the ovaries and is the most common type of ovarian cancer.
- Uterine cancer—Women who powdered their genital area with talcum powder on a regular basis and were diagnosed with uterine cancer may be entitled to file a talcum powder uterine cancer lawsuit.
- Mesothelioma—Men and women who used talcum-powder containing asbestos and developed mesothelioma, a cancer of the lining of the lungs or stomach, may be entitled to bring a talcum powder lawsuit. Mesothelioma is typically caused by inhaling or swallowing tiny particles of asbestos that remain in the body and cause cancer.
- Testicular cancer—Men who regularly use talcum powder products in their genital area to absorb sweat and prevent chafing may have an elevated risk of developing testicular cancer. If you were diagnosed with testicular cancer after regular use of a talc-based product, you may be entitled to file a talcum powder testicular cancer lawsuit.
How Does Talcum Powder Cause Ovarian Cancer?
The National Center for Health Research said an expanding body of research indicates that applying talcum powder in the genital area increases a woman’s risk of developing ovarian cancer.
Women who use talcum powder are 30 percent more likely to be diagnosed with epithelial ovarian cancer than women who do not, the Center said.
Researchers believe that talcum powder can cause the body to develop inflammation, which is a potential cause of cancer cells.
About Johnson & Johnson’s Talcum Powder
Johnson & Johnson, the world’s largest healthcare company, faces a growing number of talcum powder lawsuits that allege its talc-based Baby Powder causes ovarian cancer and other forms of cancer. J&J announced in May that it was pulling Baby Powder off the market in the United States and Canada, citing declining sales and “misinformation” about the product’s safety.
While J&J continues to dispute the cancer claims involving Baby Powder, several juries that have reviewed the evidence have been convinced of the cancer link and awarded large verdicts to women who sued J&J after developing cancer.
In June, an appeals court in Missouri found that a group of women who developed ovarian cancer had proven that Johnson & Johnson and an affiliate had concealed information for decades that its talc products contained cancer-causing asbestos and had instead published articles minimizing the safety hazards of talc. The court ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay $2.12 billion in damages to the plaintiffs.
In security filings, Johnson & Johnson disclosed that it is facing more than 20,000 talc cancer lawsuits and the number had increased by 15 percent in the last year.
The Justice Department has launched a criminal investigation about whether Johnson & Johnson improperly concealed information about the safety of its talc. A Reuters investigation found that Johnson & Johnson knew for decades its talcum-powder products were sometimes contaminated with asbestos and that the company concealed the information from the public.
In August 2020, a New Jersey appeals court revived two lawsuits in which women allege that talc caused their ovarian cancers. The ruling could lead to the reinstatement of more than 1,000 talc cancer lawsuits pending in that court.
Contact a Talcum Powder Cancer Lawsuit Attorney in Raleigh
If you or your family member has received a cancer diagnosis and you suspect a talcum powder product such as Baby Powder or Shower to Shower® powder was the cause, you won’t know what actually happened without the help of an experienced product liability attorney.
The first step is to reach out to a knowledgeable talcum powder attorney at Hardison & Cochran to review the details of your situation. You want to work with an established law firm that has the resources to take on a large manufacturer and pursue these complicated cases.
At Hardison & Cochran, Attorneys at Law, our mission is to advocate for people in North Carolina who have been harmed by the negligence of others. Hardison & Cochran has been representing injured people for more than 30 years. Our lawyers have a proven record in both settlements and courtroom cases.
If we believe that you have a valid talcum powder cancer claim, we will offer to handle your claim on a contingency fee basis. You will not have any out-of-pocket costs to pursue a talc cancer lawsuit claim.
Our law firm has offices in Raleigh, Durham, Greensboro, Fayetteville, Dunn, Southern Pines and Wilmington.
