Johnson & Johnson has been ordered to pay $72 million (£50 million) in damages after a woman’s death from cancer was linked to its talcum products. Jacqueline Fox’s death from ovarian cancer was linked to her use of the company’s talc-based Baby Powder and Shower to Shower for several decades. It’s the first time a jury has ordered J&J, the world’s largest maker of health-care products, to pay damages over claims that it knew decades ago that its talc-based products could cause cancer and failed to warn consumers.

Johnson & Johnson is currently facing 1,200 lawsuits in the US from customers who claim they were not warned about the risks. Before the 1970s, talcum powder was often contaminated with asbestos fibres which are known to cause cancer. But since then, all home products containing talcum powder are legally obliged to be asbestos-free. Some scientists have suggested that talc particles could travel to the ovaries, irritate them and cause inflammation. Low-level, long-term inflammation may increase the risk of some types of cancer.

Talc is used in products as varied as wallboard and the powder that keeps elastic balloons from sticking together. Baby powder is estimated to be an $18.8 million market in the US.

Did You Know???

• Ovarian cancer is a cancer that begins in an ovary. It results in abnormal cells that have the ability to invade or spread to other parts of the body.
• The risk of ovarian cancer increases in women who have ovulated more over their lifetime.