TALCUM MASS TORT LEAD GENERATION

We generate leads from claimants who have used Talcum Powder, and either experienced ovarian cancer within the last 10 years or passed away from ovarian cancer.

There are two types of pay-per-lead methods here:  online and television.

First, we have web form-filled submissions from claimants who have been driven to landing pages. These claimants have been qualified to have the following information:

• Used J&J’s Baby Powder or Shower-to-Shower Body Powder brands
• Claimant was diagnosed with or died from ovarian cancer
• Year of Injury or death within Statute of Limitations or time frame requested
• Claimant has not hired an attorney
• Details of procedure or injury from patient or patient’s loved ones

Please note that if, after a follow up, the claimant-lead does not meet these qualifications, you may exchange it for a replacement lead within 5 days (five consecutive 24-hour periods).

Our exclusive online mass tort Leads are not shared with other attorneys.  Delivery of claimant-leads are to your specified email address after clicking the “submit” button on the landing page.

The second source of leads are from production-ready television commercials. Specifically, it is a pay-per-call program.  Here, claimants call your office from one of our proven commercials, and are required to pass the same filters in order to be considered a qualified lead.

Our media advertisements have been based upon what has proven effective on a large scale, plus years of testing and implementing many categories of personal injury claims. Important factors include attention-grabbing content, graphics, and voices, as well as effective calls-to-action.

If you would like to see sample leads or have questions, please let us know.

We can customize our leads as well.

WHY LAWYERS PURSUE TALCUM POWDER CLAIMS FOR MASS TORT LEAD GENERATION

What is Talcum Powder?

Why Lawyers File Talcum Powder Lawsuits

Talcum Powder Lawsuits and Claims

Talcum Powder Clinical Studies

WHAT IS TALCUM POWDER (“TALC”)?

Talcum powder is a mineral that has been used in Johnson & Johnson products for decades. 

It was first developed by Dr. Frederick B. Kilmer, director of scientific affairs and J&J, in 1892.  Initially manufactured as a toiletry product in a red and yellow can.  The premise was to promote the product as a scented cosmetic powder together with sanitary napkins to parents and midwives after childbirth.

Specifically, it is a white, fibrous powder manufactured with strongly processed hydrated magnesium silicate that is used to absorb moisture and lubricate the skin.  It is the primary ingredient included in J&J’s skin softening products for women and babies.

Traditionally, women would sprinkle the talc-based products around their private parts by direct application, or indirectly by sprinkling over underwear, diapers, and sanitary pads. The consumer good was used to improve comfort, prevent vaginal odors, prevent drying and chapping, and keep the area around the groin cool.  It was marketed as something that could absorb offensive odors and maintain dry skin when placed in shoes, undergarments, and diapers.

Starting in 2014, plaintiffs have been suing the pharmaceutical giant because of the association the powder has with ovarian cancer.  In fact, talcum powder lawsuits have alleged that Johnson & Johnson has known for over 40 years that a link exists between the women’s product and cancer.

Because talcum usage included contact with women’s reproductive tracts when diaphragms or condoms were coated with the products, ovarian cancer due to the exposure to talcum powder has become an issue.

Ultimately, these lawsuits have alleged that Johnson & Johnson failed to warn consumers all the while knowing about the association their talcum products have to ovarian cancer.

The three products named in the talcum powder claims include:

• Johnson’s Baby Powder by Johnson & Johnson
• Shower to Shower by Valeant Pharmaceuticals
• Baby Magic Baby Powder

TALCUM SIDE EFFECTS

Ovarian cancer is the #1 complication associated with talcum powder, which is caused by the powder being exposed to the vagina and ovaries.

Recurrent and consistent use by women in and around the genital area has heightened the danger of getting ovarian cancer by 30-60%, according to the International Journal of Gynecological Cancer.

Simply put, there was a direct correlation between the frequency of use and the likelihood of being diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

ADDITIONAL DANGERS WITH TALCUM POWDER

Before the 1970s, many products with talcum also contained asbestos, which is mineral known to cause cancer.  Notably, researchers have indicated that talcum has similarities to asbestos, even though the carcinogen has been absent from talcum-based products for many years.

Similar to asbestos, talc has a crystalline architecture and is a silicate mineral.  Also, ingestion of these mineral has been known to generate irritation and chronic inflammation that produces cancerous tumors.

In addition, infants have been linked to respiratory complications due to the powder becoming airborne while being applied.  Upon inhalation, these children have experienced coughing, quick and hollow breathing, and sometimes acute lung irritation.

Pneumonia and asthma also has resulted from long-term exposure to talcum.

TALCUM: LAWSUITS AND LEGAL CLAIMS

Lawsuits initiated by plaintiffs have generated specific legal claims, including:

• Negligence
• Conspiracy
• Failure to Warn
• Fraud
• Violation of Consumer’s Legal Remedies
• Violating Unfair Competition and Business and Professional Codes
• Breach of Implied Warranty

SNAPSHOT OF TALCUM LAWSUITS

• In 2009, Diane Berg from Sioux Falls, South Dakota filed the first talcum powder lawsuit. She was only 49 years of age when her doctor diagnosed her with ovarian cancer three years prior.  She used J&J’s talcum-based product to prevent bad odors for many years by sprinkling her underwear with the powder.  And because there was no warning from the manufacturer, she never had reason to be aware of the dangers linked to cancer.  “I went to the bathroom, I grabbed my Johnson’s Baby Powder and threw it in the wastebasket,” she mentioned to the New York Times.

In her lawsuit, she placed fault on the J&J for fraud and negligence.  The company countered with a $1.3 million settlementin 2013, which she eventually declined due to the requirement of a confidentiality clause. In other words, the settlement agreement meant she could never reveal to her family, friends, and media that the cosmetic powder was linked to her ovarian cancer.

Ultimately, she declined the payoff because “it was never about the money.”  Rather, Ms. Berg wanted women like her, who have used the powder the same way she has for years, to know about the hidden danger that J&J was aware of for years, and intentionally failed to disclose.

Essentially, she wanted to ensure that women who had their right to an informed choice taken away from them to know about the deadly risks associated with the everyday product they have used for decades.

“it was never about the money.”

-DIANE BERG, the first women to file a
Talcum Powder lawsuit, when asked why
she turned down a $1.3 million settlement

• In late 2016, a St. Louis jury awarded plaintiff Deborah Giannecchini $70 million based upon her 40-year usage of Johnson & Johnson products. A whopping $65 million was based upon punitive damages as a message to the pharmaceutical giant about its grossly negligent conduct.  $2.5 million was awarded against supplier Imerys Talc America.  The jury had issue with whether there was any focus or concern for the health and well-being of the people who used the powder, and that the failure to disclose the associated carcinogenic risks was the smallest of dangers consumers faced.

Notably, product advertising underscored the benefits of using the powder on the body, especially the genitals, where it could result in the most harmful complications.

This award was the third consecutive victory for talcum powder consumers.  The first case obtained a $72 million award, and the second a $55 million award.  The road ahead could be a difficult one due to the at least 1,700 reported cases filed against Johnson & Johnson.

EARLY CLINICAL STUDIES LINK TALCUM POWDER TO CANCER

“Talc use increased ovarian cancer risk by
30-60% in all well-designed studies.”

-INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GYNECOLOGICAL CANCER

• One of the most highly referenced and earlier studies noting talcum powder’s link to ovarian cancer was conducted by Dr. Daniel Cramer, professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive biology at Harvard Medical School and director of the OB/GYN Epidemiology Center at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. In 1992, Dr. Cramer published a study that pointed towards the powder’s association to the often fatal disease.

In a discussion with Live Science, Dr. Cramer had the opinion that there was solid evidence from several other epidemiological studies connecting ovarian cancer to consistent genital talcum powder usage.  The studies conclude that women could witness a 30% increase in the risk of ovarian cancer if used regularly.

Notably, there have been some issues with consistency in outcomes among clinical studies, and one problem is measuring how the frequency, degree, and location regarding the application of talc that causes cancer.

Dr. Cramer says that the mineral acts as a useful anti-inflammatory agent, and may be problematic for women with chronic inflammation.  He mentioned that tissue from cancer patients has been examined by pathologists, and they have discovered talc within the tissue.

Dr. Cramer believes that talc particles may get into the upper genital tract when applied to the genitals, thus affecting the ovaries.  From there, the powder provides its anti-inflammatory effects and cause complications with the body’s immune system.

• In 2015, the International Journal of Gynecological Cancer published a formal systematic analysis talc and its link to ovarian cancer. When discussing results, the article stated that “Talc use increased ovarian cancer risk by 30-60% in all well-designed studies.  The Attributable Risk was 29%, meaning that elimination of the use of talc could protect one-quarter or more of women who develop ovarian cancer.  The study concluded that talc was a carcinogen and many baby powders have replaced talc with cornstarch when producing baby powder.

TALCUM-BASED POWDER VS. CORNSTARCH-BASED POWDER

Notably, the American Cancer Societyhas recommended for years that women consider cornstarch powder over talcum powder.  According to Joseph Imperato, president of the Illinois Division of the American Cancer Society, “The American Cancer Society currently recommends that women who wish to use powder use a cornstarch-based powder and avoid talc powders at this time.”

And other members of the medical community agree.  John Whysner, M.D., who is a part of the Toxicology and Risk Assessment Program at the American Health Foundation, wrote an in-depth research article titled “Perineal Powder Containing Cornstarch.  He mentions that, “We did the most comprehensive study that’s been done to date on this topic. We reviewed the world’s literature – looked at over 50 research papers, and although there were some associations found between the use of talc-containing genital powders and ovarian cancer, there were not these types of associations found for cornstarch-containing powders.”  When comparing cornstarch to talc, he stated, “Cornstarch is the way that the corn plant stores energy. It’s also the starch that is used in food products, and the body can digest cornstarch.  Talc, on the other hand, is a mineral.  It’s mined from the earth, and the body has a difficult time removing it.”

“…use a cornstarch-based powder
and avoid talc powders at this time.”

THE AMERICAN
CANCER SOCIETY

It is interesting to reflect on how there has been significant exposure about cancer and its link to talc, especially since there has been documentation that originates decades ago.  Yet, with all of the evidence from multiple well-respected and recognized medical doctors and organizations that had been published, Johnson & Johnson continued to promote its products as safe for use around the female genital areas.

Even the American Health Foundation has stated that “Cornstarch is a safer alternative to talc in feminine powders.”  In an article discussing talcum’s link to cancer, it mentions conclusions from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), which is connected to the World Health Organization (WHO).  The Agency has determined that talc be classified as a carcinogenic.

Given all the studies pointing towards the connection between cancer and talcum powder, there is still nothing close to a unified conclusion regarding how cancer is caused. Many people knowledgeable about the topic agree there is no conclusively determined link.  Much of the evidence indicates that particles from talcum could be traveling within the genital tract.

Cancer could also be developed by effectuating chronic epithelial inflammation around the pelvic region.  Women applying talcum-based baby powder and underwent tubal ligation surgery demonstrated a 50% decrease in risk.

Women who are interested in filing a case should speak to an attorney. Although the FDA has not recalled talcum-based powders, and there is no set settlement standard at this point, settlement amounts could vary depending upon the amount and degree of complications experienced.

WE PROVIDE QUALITY PERSONAL INJURY LEADS
AND MASS TORT LEAD GENERATION