Last week, a Florida jury began hearing details surrounding the death of a Florida anesthesiologist who succumbed to a rare cancer similar to malignant peritoneal mesothelioma. Bob Sugarman is suing Johnson & Johnson following the death of his wife, Marilyn Seskin. He is accusing the company of knowingly selling asbestos-contaminated baby powder.
Anesthesiologist’s Cancer Death Blamed on Asbestos in Johnson & Johnson’s Baby Powder
Much like malignant peritoneal mesothelioma, the cancer that killed Marilyn Seskin forms in the tissue of the abdomen and has been linked to exposure to asbestos. According to her widower, Bob Sugarman, Ms. Seskin used the popular consumer product for over fifty years: after seeing advertisements from the 1960s suggesting that women use the product to mask natural body odors, she not only used it as a deodorant and antiperspirant, but also placed it in her underwear, and even in her diaphragm. She was eventually diagnosed with primary peritoneal carcinoma, and went through four surgeries and five rounds of chemotherapy before her death in 2019.
Over the last several years, this use of Johnson & Johnson’s Baby Powder has been blamed for thousands of cases of ovarian cancer and malignant peritoneal mesothelioma, while users who breathed the powder in have accused the company of causing their malignant pleural mesothelioma.
Asbestos Claim Says Johnson & Johnson Knew of Asbestos in its Talc-Based Products
According to the claim filed by Mr. Sugarman, the company became aware of the dangers of ovarian tumors and other asbestos-related injuries from its products as long ago as 1971, but they chose to sow doubt about the results and to push back against proposed regulations suggested by scientists.
Mr. Sugarman’s lawsuit, like those filed by people with malignant mesothelioma and other victims of asbestos-related cancers, accuses the company of hiding the risks of its baby powder from consumers, leading to her death.
If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma or any other asbestos-related disease, the Patient Advocates at Mesothelioma.net can help. Contact us today at 1-800-692-8608.
