Johnson & Johnson talcum powder linked to ovarian cancer: US jury orders $72 million damages

Johnson & Johnson was ordered by a Missouri state jury to pay $72 million of damages to the family of a woman whose death from ovarian cancer was linked to her use of the company’s talc-based Baby Powder and Shower to Shower for several decades, Reuters reported.

This judgement was in response to a lawsuit by Marvin Salter, whose mother was diagnosed and died of ovarian cancer after using the company's product as a 'bathroom staple' for years.

The report added that the jurors awarded the family $10 million of actual damages and $62 million of punitive damages.

A report in The Daily Mail added:

Lawsuits against Johnson & Johnson claim that in an effort to boost sales, the pharmaceutical giant failed for decades to warn consumers that its talc-based products could cause cancer....A Johnson & Johnson spokeswoman said Tuesday that the New Jersey-based company was considering whether to appeal the verdict.

This is not the first time the company is getting into trouble either.

According to The Guardian, a coalition of groups called the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics began pushing Johnson & Johnson to eliminate questionable ingredients from its baby and adult personal care products in May 2009 and the company agreed in 2012.

The report also added that Fox’s attorneys, while fighting the case, suggested that “anybody who denies [the] risks” between “hygenic” talc use and ovarian cancer would be seen in the same light as those who denied a link between smoking cigarettes and cancer.