L.A. Times (1995): Talc causes cancer in women

LA Times, 1995: “Particles of talc used as a lubricant on latex condoms can enter a woman’s body … causing infertility and cancer”.

As discussed in opening statements this week during the ongoing ovarian cancer talcum powder trial against Johnson & Johnson in St. Louis Missouri, condom manufacturers learned back in the 1990’s that researchers had linked talcum powder with ovarian cancer in women. This was public information that was also available to other manufacturers such Johnson & Johnson.

Alternatives for condom manufacturers, surgical glove manufacturers and other goods using talc included switching to cornstarch. The federal government had already by 1995 requested surgical gloves contain no talc as it could be left behind in the body and was not biodegradable.

Unfortunately for thousands of women, talcum powder and baby powder manufacturers continued to market their products as safe for use by women on their genitals. This failure to warn could be the cause of thousands of preventable cases of ovarian cancer. They did not act for decades despite public information and despite other market sectors responding to the potential risks of talc by replacing talcum powder with other products.

To read the original 1995 article about the risks of talcum powder, you can find it online archived at the L.A Times website.

To read more about talc, how talc remains behind in the body as an irritant and the link between talc powder causing ovarian cancer, read more at our website: Talcum Powder causes Ovarian Cancer.

To read more about prior verdicts of women who sued Johnson & Johnson for causing their ovarian cancer and hiding the risks of talcum power, read our blog updates about the $55 million and $70 million verdicts against &J& in St. Louis Missouri.