Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder Linked to Mesothelioma According to Recent Verdicts

Recently a California jury decided that Johnson & Johnson, the maker of Johnson & Johnson's Baby Powder, caused a 68-year-old woman's malignant mesothelioma.

Her claim was that the Johnson & Johnson knew that its product was dangerous and contained asbestos, but did nothing to warn its customers about the dangers it posed.

The woman sued both Johnson & Johnson and the companies that supplied it with the contaminated talc. Together the defendants have been ordered to pay a total of $21.7 million to pay for her medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering.

Talcum Powder's Dangers Cited in Other Mesothelioma Cases in the Past

This is not the first time that a mesothelioma victim has blamed a talc-based powder product for their illness. A New Jersey man with mesothelioma was a lifelong user of Johnson & Johnson’s Baby Powder and the company’s Shower to Shower powder.

He sued the company and was awarded $117 million by a jury. In another mesothelioma trial filed by the family of a woman who died of pericardial mesothelioma is currently being heard in a South Carolina court. There was also an earlier case filed against Colgate Palmolive, the maker of a Cashmere Bouquet talcum powder, where a large verdict was awarded to the victim.

Internal Memo Reveals that Johnson & Johnson Knew about the Dangers of Using their Talc Baby Powder

Johnson & Johnson denies that their talcum powder products ever contained asbestos, but evidence has been submitted showing that a Johnson & Johnson scientist wrote a memo years ago, warning that the company would face legal action if anybody ever learned about the asbestos in their product.

What is Malignant Mesothelioma?

Malignant mesothelioma is one of the rarest forms of cancer, killing approximately 3,500 people in the United States per year. It is caused by exposure to asbestos, a mineral that was widely used for construction and insulation until the mid-1970s when its dangers were made known to the public by the Environmental Protection Agency. Since that time most deaths from the disease have been blamed on people being exposed to asbestos on the job, with other exposures remaining unexplained. The recent news that talcum powder products were contaminated by asbestos for years has provided an answer for many.