The Superior Court of New Jersey has already ordered the makers and manufacturers of talcum powder products to pay significant damages to one mesothelioma victim. Now another has come forward, making similar accusations of asbestos contamination against both Johnson & Johnson’s baby powder and Mennen talcum powder. According to a claim filed by an Arkansas man, his illness was a direct result of breathing in microscopic asbestos particles when he was a child and his parents used baby powder on him, and when he was an adult and used the talcum powder marketed to men between 1960 and 1981. His claim further holds the consumer products companies responsible for his illness by citing his additional exposure to the White Shoulders talcum powder that his wife used in their shared bathroom.
There have been numerous mesothelioma lawsuits filed around the country against Johnson & Johnson’s and other cosmetic product companies that manufacture and market talcum-based powder products. Each of these suits has accused the companies of having knowledge of the product being contaminated with the deadly carcinogenic mineral asbestos and failing to warn consumers of the dangers posed by inhaling these particles. In the case of the Arkansas plaintiff, this exposure occurred in addition to occupational exposure when he worked as an occasional laborer throughout his adulthood. He and his wife are accusing several companies of failure to warn, negligence, defective design and loss of consortium.
Though Johnson & Johnson has been defending itself aggressively against the mesothelioma charges that it has faced, those who believe that their sickness is a result of the company’s products point to internal company memos that suggest the company was aware of the presence of asbestos in their products. Victims also point to the irrefutable fact that talc, a mineral, is frequently mined from deposits that lie in close proximity to asbestos deposits and that there is frequently cross contamination. It has been suggested that Johnson & Johnson’s and other companies were remiss in failing to more aggressively test the material that they were using in their consumer product out of a reluctance to open themselves up to litigation. In addition to being accused of causing mesothelioma, Johnson & Johnson’s baby powder and other talcum powder products have been named as being at fault for thousands of cases of ovarian cancer. This follows studies showing that women who used the products vaginally as a hygiene product were vulnerable to asbestos particles entering the body and leading to ovarian tumors.
If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma, ovarian cancer or any other asbestos-related disease, you need information on the resources available to you, as well as on your rights. Contact the Patient Advocates at Mesothelioma.net today at 1-800-692-8608.
