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Tag: baby powder lawsuit

The Talcum Powder Lawsuit

The heated debate about the possible health risks related with using talcum powder is getting hotter. Thousands of lawsuits have been filed in support of people who claim to have cancer due to exposure to talc products, which have generated billions of dollars in lawsuits over the past few months.

The Talc product manufacturer denies the relation between talcum powder and cancer risk and is appealing many guilty verdicts, but many more go to court.

Talc is a natural mineral that mainly consists of silicon, magnesium, and oxygen. Talcum powder have long been used externally to absorb moisture and prevent skin rashes.

Extremely fine talc particles can also migrate to places where they do not have to go through inhalation or other means. Some research studies show that women who regularly use talc in their genitals have a higher risk of ovarian cancer if the particles travel through the uterus, and fallopian tubes to the ovaries.

The controversy surrounding the powder increased when further claims arose that questioned the purity of the product. Asbestos and powder often occur naturally in close proximity to each other. This requires careful testing and monitoring of talc extracted for cosmetic purposes.

Johnson & Johnson have been testing their supply sources since at least the early 1970s and claim that their products do not contain traces of asbestos. However, the plaintiff's attorney said that internal documents from the talc case show that the company for decades had known that talc's products contained asbestos fibers.