Ovarian Cancer Lawsuit Filed Over Use of Talcum Baby and Body Powders

Johnson & Johnson faces another lawsuit over their talcum powder products, with an Illinois woman alleging that she developed ovarian cancer after using Johnson’s Baby Powder and Shower to Shower body powder for feminine hygiene purposes.  

The complaint was filed by Lynne Cebulske in St. Clair County Court in Illinois on May 14, joining a growing number of talcum baby and body powder lawsuits filed by women throughout the United States who allege that Johnson & Johnson failed to warn about the ovarian cancer risk associated with using the products.

Cebulske indicates that she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer on May 14, 2012, after using Johnson & Johnson’s talcum powder products since 1992. According to a report in the Madison-St. Clair Record, she claims that she never would have used the products for feminine hygiene had she know that they could cause ovarian cancer.

Johnson’s Baby Powder and Shower-to-Shower are talcum-based products that have been promoted for use by women after bathing. However, recent studies have suggested that use of the powders as a female hygiene product may cause talc to migrate through the vagina to the uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries, with evidence of talk found in some ovarian tumors.

In June 2013, a study published in the medical journal Cancer Prevention Research found that women who used genital powder containing talc may face a 20% to 30% higher risk of ovarian cancer than those who do not. While the overall risk remains small, women have expressed concerns about why further research has not been done by the manufacturers and why warnings have not been provided about the possible health risks.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer, which is part of the World Health Organization, has classified genital use of talc powder as a “possible carcinogen,” and the American Cancer Society has indicated women concerned about the talcum powder cancer risk may want to avoid or limit use by considering cornstarch-based products.

In April 2014, a talcum powder class action lawsuit was filed against Johnson & Johnson, alleging that the company failed to adequately warn consumers about the potential risk of ovarian cancer from Johnson’s Baby Powder. Plaintiffs in that case maintain that talcum baby powder is not safe for use as a feminine hygiene product, and that Johnson & Johnson has withheld information about the link to ovarian cancer for decades.

In October 2013, a South Dakota jury found that Johnson & Johnson failed to adequately warn about the risk of ovarian cancer from talcum powder products, in a lawsuit filed by Deane Berg, who was diagnosed with cancer in 2006 after using Shower-to-Shower body powder for 30 years.

Cebulske raises similar allegations to those brought by other women, pursuing claims for failure to warn, negligence, breach of warranty, and civil conspiracy. She is seeking compensatory damages in excess of $350,000.