Ethylene Oxide/Sterigenics Updates

Articles Posted in Talcum Powder

Since the 1990s, over 850,000 tons of talc have been consumed annually in the United States. Of those 850,000 tons, 48,000 were used in direct consumer applications, including cosmetic products, pharmaceuticals, and even food products. Talcum powder, associated with certain types of cancer, has been a major problem for consumers. But what is talc and why exactly is it dangerous? The answer lies in where it comes from and what it’s truly made of.

What is Talc?

Talc is a fine-grained white, greenish, or gray mineral that has a soapy feel. It is used in talcum and face powders, as a paper coating and as a filler for paints and plastics. The problem with talc arises from its composition and where the talc is mined.

Co-authored by Cassidy Carroll of The Collins Law Firm, P.C.

A little over a week ago, the Missouri Circuit Court announced that, Johnson & Johnson, the world’s largest maker of health-care products must pay $72 million to the family of a woman claiming the company’s talcum powder caused her fatal ovarian cancer. For the first time, monetary compensation was awarded in response to Johnson & Johnson’s failure to warn consumers of the cancer-causing potential of its talcum-based products decades ago.

Currently, Johnson & Johnson is facing 1,200 lawsuits claiming that studies on talcum-based products, such as Johnson’s Baby Powder and Shower-to-Shower products, have shown a link between talcum and ovarian cancer. In 2013, a North Dakota federal jury found that the use of Johnson & Johnson’s talcum-based body powder contributed to a woman’s developing ovarian cancer, but awarded no damages.

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