Bottles of Johnson's baby powder, produced by Johnson & Johnson. Picture: Getty
JOHNSON & Johnson has been ordered to pay $72 million ($A100 million) to the family of a woman whose death from ovarian cancer was linked to the talcum powder.
A Missouri state jury awarded the family of Jacqueline Fox $14m of actual damages and $86m of punitive damages, according to the family’s lawyers and court records.
Mrs Fox claimed she used two of the company’s talc-based products — Baby Powder and Shower to Shower — as feminine hygiene products for more than 35 years before being diagnosed with ovarian cancer three years ago. Shower to Shower was marketed with the slogan, “Just a sprinkle a day helps keep odor away.”
She died of ovarian cancer in October last year at age 62.
Mrs Fox’s son, Marvin Salter, said his late mother used the iconic talcum powder as a bathroom staple for decades. “It just became second nature, like brushing your teeth,” he said. “It’s a household name.”
In the verdict announced late Monday night after a three-week trial, jurors said the pharmaceutical giant, in an effort to boost sales, failed to warn users of the potential dangers despite concerns raised by the American Cancer Society in 1999.
Jere Beasley, a lawyer for Mrs Fox’s family, said Johnson & Johnson “knew as far back as the 1980s of the risk,” and yet resorted to “lying to the public, lying to the regulatory agencies”.
The verdict is the first by a US jury to award damages over the claims, the lawyers said.
Johnson & Johnson — the world’s largest health products manufacturer, is currently facing 1200 lawsuits in the US from customers who claim they were not warned about the risks.
A woman who died of ovarian cancer claims she used Johnson & Johnson products for 35 years.Source:Supplied
Spokeswoman Carol Goodrich said on Tuesday that the New Jersey-based company was considering its next legal move. In a written statement, she said the verdict “goes against decades of sound science proving the safety of talc as a cosmetic ingredient in multiple products,” citing supportive research by the US Food and Drug Administration and National Cancer Institute.
Johnson & Johnson has previously been targeted by health and consumer groups over possibly harmful ingredients in items including its iconic Johnson’s No More Tears baby shampoo.
In May 2009, a coalition of groups called the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics began pushing the company to eliminate questionable ingredients from its baby and adult personal care products. After three years of petitions, negative publicity and a boycott threat, the company agreed in 2012 to eliminate the ingredients 1,4-dioxane and formaldehyde, both considered probable human carcinogens, from all products by 2015.
What the American Cancer Society says about talc and cancer links
Some scientists have suggested that talc particles could travel to the ovaries, irritate them and cause inflammation. Low-level, long-term inflammation may increase the risk of some types of cancer. However the ruling is likely to prove controversial because most cancer experts believe the link is unproven.
Before the 1970s, talcum powder was often contaminated with asbestos fibres which are known to cause cancer. But since then, all home products containing talcum powder are legally obliged to be asbestos-free.
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