Johnson & Johnson to pay US$55 million in talc powder cancer case
Johnson & Johnson (J&J), an American multinational company manufacturing medical devices, pharmaceutical products, and consumer packaged goods, has been ordered by the Missouri state court to pay over US$55 million (£40 million) as compensation to an American woman who claims her ovarian cancer was caused by the company’s talcum powder.
Gloria Ristesund, 62, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2011. She had to undergo hysterectomy, a surgery to remove a woman’s uterus, and other related procedures, but her cancer is now in remission. She said she used J&J talc-based powder products on her genitals for decades. After three weeks of trial, the Ristesund was awarded US$50 million in punitive damages and US$5 million in compensatory damages.
There is no conclusive research evidence that talcum powder increases the risk of ovarian cancer. The International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies talc used on the genitals as “possibly carcinogenic” because of the mixed evidence.
The mineral talc in its natural form does contain asbestos and does cause cancer. However, asbestos-free talc has been used in baby powder and other cosmetics since the 1970s. But the studies on asbestos-free talc give contradictory results. It has been linked to a cancer risk in some studies, while other studies have argued there is no link at all and there is no link between talc in contraceptives such as diaphragms and condoms (which would be close to the ovaries) and cancer.
The charity Ovacome says there is no definitive evidence and that the worst-case scenario is that using talc increases the risk of cancer by a third. But it adds: “Ovarian cancer is a rare disease, and increasing a small risk by a third still gives a small risk. So even if talc does increase the risk slightly, very few women who use talc will ever get ovarian cancer.”
According to a J&J spokeswoman, the verdict goes against 30 years of research supporting the safety of cosmetic talc.
In February, J&J was also ordered to pay US$72 million to the family of Jackie Fox from Birmingham, Alabama. She died of ovarian cancer last year at age 62. Her family claimed her death was linked to use of the company’s Baby Powder talc.
J&J is appealing against that verdict, which sparked renewed interest in talc-powder lawsuits. Lawyers accuse J&J of failing to warn that talc was linked to an increased risk for ovarian cancer – a claim J&J denies. There are 1,200 other cases pending.
Source: BBC
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