Hispanic and Native American Women Have Filed Class Action Lawsuits Against Talcum Powder
New lawsuits based on demographics say that targeted ads and health problems are worse in minority groups
Tuesday, August 5, 2025 - Hispanic and Native American women say that the long-term usage of talc-based goods hurts them more than other women. Their talcum powder lawsuits say that the companies that make and sell these products purposefully targeted minority areas with ads, but they didn't do enough to warn people about the health dangers that come with using talc in the genital area, such as ovarian cancer and mesothelioma. Talcum powder cancer advocates for these plaintiffs say that women of color were subjected to decades of marketing that was targeted to their culture and pushed talcum powder as an important part of keeping women clean and fresh. The lawsuits say that ads in Spanish-language media and promotional materials given out at tribe health clinics and community centers helped make regular talc use a beauty standard. Legal teams say that this focused strategy had long-term effects on public health, especially since internal business documents now show that management knew about the health concerns and their marketing focus on minority groups.
The complaints cite many peer-reviewed studies that show that women who used talc regularly in their genitals were more likely to get ovarian cancer. The plaintiffs say that firms didn't do enough testing to find asbestos in their goods and didn't give warnings to populations that were at risk. Some of the latest class actions also say that differences in public health, like less access to cancer screening and specialty care, made things worse for Hispanic and Native American women who were exposed to talc for a long time. Federal institutions like the National Cancer Institute and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have said that racial and ethnic minorities had a higher risk of cancer and worse outcomes, but they haven't said that any one product or practice is to blame for these discrepancies. Still, the growing number of talcum powder cancer claims that target certain demographic groups is putting more pressure on both courts and regulators to look at the links between public health, product liability, and racial justice.
In response, advocacy groups are asking for more research into how personal care goods have been marketed to different racial groups. Some people want the corporations involved to make public all of their internal communications and market research that has to do with targeting specific groups of people. Experts in public health also say that the problem goes beyond talcum powder, and they are worried about how commercial marketing may make harmful behaviors more common among groups that have historically had trouble getting unbiased health information. These class action lawsuits show a change in how people are framing talcum powder lawsuits--not only as a safety problem, but as a civil rights one. If they win, the cases could create a precedent for making companies pay for health problems that come from targeted advertising, without telling customers about dangers.
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