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Manufacturer knew baby powder contained cancer-causing substance

On Behalf of | Feb 8, 2019 | Firm News |

Today’s consumers use baby powder for a variety of different reasons, but women who use it regularly for hygienic purposes may want to reconsider doing so immediately. While rumors about a possible link between prolonged use of talc powder and the development of cancer have long plagued the product, a recent investigation revealed that the product manufacturer was well aware of its risks for decades.

USA Today reports that the manufacturer of baby powder not only knew that the powder contained trace amounts of asbestos, which is a known cancer-causing substance, but failed to inform the public. Furthermore, the investigation revealed that the product maker had knowledge that the product contained asbestos since as far as 1971 and possibly earlier. Despite this knowledge, the baby powder manufacturer failed to inform the public or regulators about the possible risks involved with regular talc powder usage, thereby stripping away the public’s right to make its own informed decisions about using it.

Ongoing litigation

Thousands of women across the nation have since filed suit against the baby powder manufacturer, making similar allegations about how their prolonged use of baby powder for hygienic purposes ultimately led to the development of ovarian and other cancers. Nearly 12,000 women made similar claims, and some have already proven successful in their efforts to hold the product maker accountable for failing to warn the public about product risks.

In one recent case, a group of 22 Missouri women received $4.7 billion in damages from the baby powder manufacturer after the courts determined that asbestos in baby powder did, in fact, play a role in their developing ovarian cancer. Numerous other cases involving women across the country making similar assertions about the product are still ongoing.

Manufacturers have a duty to inform the public about a product’s risks so that each consumer can, in turn, make educated decisions before it. In this instance, the baby powder product manufacturer knew that its product contained cancer-causing substances, but failed to tell anyone, thereby placing thousands, if not millions, of Americans at risk.

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