Hard Evidence That Talc Causes Ovarian Cancer Is Difficult To Find
There is little plausible evidence that talc causes ovarian cancer definitively, as 30,000 baby powder ovarian cancer plaintiffs seem to believe
Wednesday, June 16, 2021 - The talcum powder billion dollar market is up for grabs now that Johnson‘s Baby Powder has been discontinued by its makers Johnson & Johnson. The iconic health and baby care products company cited a lack of demand due to misinformation about the health and safety of talc, its main ingredient. Talc is mined from the earth alongside and often overlapping asbestos, a well-known carcinogen. Talc has been tested by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and by others and has contained the cancer-causing substance. Asbestos has been proven to cause mesothelioma, the cutting and scaring of the delicate lining of the lungs, the mesothelium. The elasticity of the mesothelium is necessary to be able to contract and expand to breathe. When scar tissue develops, the mesothelium becomes inelastic to the point, eventually, where the victim suffocates to death. There is little doubt that inhaling talcum powder fumes exposes a person to enough asbestos to causes mesothelioma. Most of the Johnson‘s Baby Powder lawsuits, however, are by women who have used Johnson‘s Baby powder on their genitals and that talc has made its way into their ovaries, causing irritation that allegedly leads to ovarian cancer. Visit talcum powder cancer lawsuit to learn more.
There has been no concrete link between using Johnson‘s Baby Powder and the asbestos in it causing ovarian cancer as most of the 30,000-plus plaintiffs that have filed lawsuits against J&J seem to believe. Women with ovarian cancer are blaming talc itself as being carcinogenic despite there being no proof that it does. Scientist at Cancer.org wrote last year that, "Studies of personal use of talcum powder have had mixed results, although there is some suggestion of a possible increase in ovarian cancer risk. There is very little evidence at this time that any other forms of cancer are linked with consumer use of talcum powder." The website further states, "In its natural form, some talc contains asbestos, a substance known to cause cancers in and around the lungs when inhaled (see Asbestos)."
Cancer.org highlights the studies that have concluded with mixed results that women who use talcum powder may have an insignificantly higher likelihood to develop ovarian cancer. They stress, however, that studies are reliant on a woman‘s memory of talc usages going back decades which could skew the results. "Many case-control studies have found a small increase in risk. But these types of studies can be biassed because they often rely on the memory of talc use many years earlier." Another reason for the difficulty in pinning ovarian cancer on talc use is that ovarian cancer is so uncommon that it is difficult to find a sample large enough to yield meaningful statistics. Until the science behind talc causing ovarian cancer is resolved, women exposed to talc through baby powder, sanitary napkins, diaphragms, or talc-laced condoms may wish to switch to products that use cornstarch or arrowroot as a substitute.
