A St. Louis Jury decided to award $70.1 million to a woman from Modesto, California. The said compensation is for the lawsuit she filed against Johnson & Johnson, claiming that she suffered from ovarian cancer for using the talcum powder for her feminine hygiene regularly.
The woman was identified as Deborah Giannecchini and she was diagnosed with advanced ovarian cancer in 2012. The then-59-year-old woman upon filing said that she used Johnson's Baby Powder for more than 40 years to keep her genital area dry.
Detroit Free Press reported that this is the third time that Johnson & Johnson was hit with a multi-million dollar and the jury awarded the women complaining about the matter. Earlier this year, two other St. Louis juries reached similar decisions. They awarded one woman with $72 million and the other with $55 million. However, in New Jersey, which is the home state of Johnson & Johnson, a judge threw out two similar cases claiming that there is no reliable evidence that talc causes ovarian cancer. It is believed that Johnson & Johnson faces 2,000 similar lawsuits.
More on the product, talc is said to be a mineral mined from deposits all over the world. It is then crushed into a white powder and is used for cosmetics and other personal care. The substance absorbs moisture and the Johnson & Johnson baby powder was introduced to the market in 1984.
It remains unclear if talc really causes ovarian cancer as there have been no definite studies regarding this, Hindustan Times reported. Factors know to increase the risk of ovarian cancer are age, obesity and use of estrogen after menopause.
Studies launched to determine the effect of the use of talcum powder also claims that there is no link between its usage and the illness. Other studies are saying that there is a 20 percent to 40 percent increased risk to ovarian cancer among talc powder users.
