The International Agency For Cancer Research Found a Link Between Asbestos and Ovarian Cancer

A Federal Judge has ruled that while experts can testify talc contains asbestos, they may not claim that talc itself is carcinogenic

Thursday, April 30, 2020 - At first glance, Monday's decision by Federal Judge Freda Wolfson in New Jersey appears to be a great win for plaintiffs seeking to convince juries that Johnson's Baby Powder caused their cancer, and it is, however, on closer examination there may be a slight catch. On the plus side for plaintiffs, their attorneys can introduce expert witnesses that will testify that their tests on unopened bottles of Johnson's Baby Powder found asbestos, a known carcinogen and that inhaling the naturally forming mineral through their mouth or nose caused them to develop mesothelioma, a rare and deadly form of cancer of the lining of the lungs. The ruling does not apply to roughly three-quarters of the 16,000 or so plaintiffs that have filed lawsuits against Johnson & Johnson accusing the iconic brand of baby powder of causing ovarian cancer. Judge Wolfson barred experts in future trials from giving testimony that claims that talc in and of itself can cause cancer noting that studies claiming to have found particles of talc in the ovaries of women that have died from ovarian cancer lacked scientific credibility. Talcum powder cancer lawsuit handled by top national attorneys with vast experience and a winning track record litigating against pharmaceutical companies and offer a free consultation with no obligation to file a claim.

The judge may have been influenced in this regard by a recent and respected scientific study of over 250,000 women that found no significant increase in the percentage of ovarian cancer for women who used Johnson's Baby Powder over those that didn't. Also, about half of the court cases that were originally ruled in favor of plaintiffs that died or suffered from ovarian cancer have been overturned. Attorneys for Johnson & Johnson hope that the most recent ovarian cancer verdict against them that awarded 22 plaintiffs over $4 billion dollars could now be vacated as well since simply finding talc embedded in cancerous ovarian tissues may no longer be sufficient and plaintiffs may have to find asbestos fibers itself. Several of the court cases that Johnson & Johnson have actually won rested on juries finding that a woman's ovarian cancer may have been caused by endometriosis and not necessarily talcum powder, although the connection is tenuous at best. Endometriosis is "a painful disorder in which tissue similar to the tissue that normally lines the inside of your uterus — the endometrium — grows outside your uterus," according to the Mayo Clinic.

Plaintiff attorneys looking to show a link between asbestos found in talc and ovarian cancer may cite publications by the National Institute of Health. According to the NIH, "A recent Monographs Working Group of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) concluded that there is sufficient evidence for a causal association between exposure to asbestos and ovarian cancer. Our study supports the IARC conclusion that exposure to asbestos is associated with an increased risk of ovarian cancer." Roughly 12,000 of the 16,000 lawsuits pending against Johnson & Johnson are claiming to have developed ovarian cancer by using Johnson's Baby Powder on their genitals regularly and for many decades.