Johnson & Johnson baby powder | Getty Images
A St. Louis jury
has awarded a Virginia woman a record-setting $110.5 million in the
latest lawsuit alleging that using a Johnson & Johnson baby powder
caused cancer.
The jury ruling Thursday night for
62-year-old Louis Slemp, of Wise, Virginia, comes after three previous
St. Louis juries awarded a total of $197 million to plaintiffs who made
similar claims.
Slemp was diagnosed with ovarian cancer
in 2012. It has since spread to her liver. She blamed her cancer on her
use of the company’s talcum-containing products for more than 40 years.
Although she was too ill to attend the
trial, an audiotape of her deposition testimony was played. In it, she
said, “I trusted Johnson & Johnson. Big mistake.”
About 2,000 women nationwide have filed similar suits over concerns about health damage caused by extended talcum powder use.
Johnson & Johnson said in a
statement that it would appeal and disputed the scientific evidence
behind the plaintiffs’ allegations.
The company also noted that a St. Louis
jury found in its favour in March and that two cases in New Jersey were
thrown out by a judge who said there wasn’t reliable evidence that talc
leads to ovarian cancer, Los Angeles Times reports.
“We are preparing for additional trials
this year, and we will continue to defend the safety of Johnson’s Baby
Powder,” the statement said.
The suit also named supplier Imerys
Talc, which had also been held accountable in only one other talcum
case. Imerys in a statement, said that it is “confident in the consensus
of government agencies and professional scientific organisations that
have reviewed the safety of talc.”
Talc is a mineral that is mined from
deposits around the world, including in the U.S. The softest of
minerals, it’s crushed into a white powder. It has been widely used in
cosmetics and other personal care products to absorb moisture since at
least
It has been widely used in cosmetics and
other personal care products to absorb moisture since at least 1894
when Johnson & Johnson’s baby powder was launched. But it’s mainly
used in a variety of other products, including paint and plastics.
Much research has found no link or a
weak one between ovarian cancer and using baby powder for feminine
hygiene, and most major health groups have declared talc harmless.
Still, the International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies the
genital use of talc as “possibly carcinogenic.”
Read more at Press Reader.
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