
Lots of of ladies within the UK are planning to tackle one of many world’s greatest pharmaceutical corporations over alleged hyperlinks between talc and most cancers.
Recognized with ovarian most cancers in 2021, Cassandra Wardle is likely one of the ladies launching a bunch motion in opposition to the largest vendor of talcum powder, Johnson & Johnson (J&J).
Cassandra, who came across a Fb article linking most cancers and talc following her prognosis, mentioned it was used on her as a child and she or he continued to make use of it “for 20 years or extra”.
“You mimic your mum who used it,” she mentioned. “Child powder was speculated to be one thing deemed ‘protected to make use of’, even on a child’s bum.”
If it proceeds, the authorized motion can be the primary of its variety introduced in opposition to the pharmaceutical multinational within the UK.
With 1,900 potential claimants, together with most cancers sufferers, survivors and households, legal professionals say it’s set to be the most important pharmaceutical product group motion in English and Welsh authorized historical past.
The ORIONEWS has spoken to a lot of ladies with gynaecological cancers – many are a part of the group motion – who imagine their repeated use of talcum powder performed a component of their prognosis.
Their legal professionals allege that for many years, talcum powder was contaminated with cancer-causing asbestos – one thing they declare J&J was conscious of however sought to suppress.
J&J denies suppressing any data and denies any hyperlinks between its child powder, asbestos and most cancers.

“The docs mentioned the most cancers was uncommon for my age at 44,” says Cassandra, from Alfreton in Derbyshire.
She says she would frequently use talcum powder after a shower or as a deodoriser, together with throughout her genitals.
“I used to be simply beginning my chemo journey after I learn concerning the hyperlinks, however I felt enraged {that a} company big like J&J might appear to do that,” she says.
At first, docs believed Cassandra’s most cancers was terminal.
“I went to the session alone,” she says. “So I needed to come residence and inform my husband what they mentioned, inform my dad and mom they’d be burying me.
“I closed down my enterprise unit and laid off workers.
“I even created a not-so-creative acronym: ‘LAC – Life After Cass’.”

Then, she had an surprising lifeline. Chemotherapy had in reality triggered an autoimmune situation, giving the impression of late-stage most cancers.
Cassandra survived. However the illness nonetheless had a devastating impact on her life.
She was compelled to surrender her enterprise, and an an infection throughout chemotherapy broken her vocal cords, decreasing her voice to a whisper. A hysterectomy to take away cancerous tissue had a huge effect on her physique.
“I used to be plunged into surgical menopause,” she says.
“I’d have preferred kids. I used to be by no means blessed that means, however my final skill to have kids was taken away because of most cancers.”

Are there hyperlinks between talcum powder and most cancers?

The claims of hyperlinks between talcum powder and most cancers revolve round asbestos – a identified carcinogen.
Talc is a mineral that’s typically utilized in talcum powders and different beauty merchandise, in line with Most cancers Analysis UK.
Sophia Lowes, from the charity, mentioned: “[Talc] could be mined in locations the place there’s asbestos, which might trigger the talc to grow to be contaminated. Asbestos is understood to trigger mesothelioma and cancers of the lung, larynx and ovary.
“The sale of merchandise containing asbestos is banned within the UK and beauty merchandise must be safety-tested earlier than they are often bought.”
Many paperwork had been hidden from public view till Individuals with most cancers started suing the agency.
J&J has been accused of figuring out a long time in the past that its child powder might comprise contaminants of asbestos.
J&J has beforehand mentioned that “any suggestion that Johnson & Johnson knew or hid details about the security of talc is fake”.
The corporate discontinued mineral-based talc in North America in 2020 – and adopted swimsuit within the UK final yr – changing it with cornstarch. J&J mentioned this was because of monetary pressures and a “misinformation marketing campaign” across the product.
Whereas the main target of the group motion is on the contamination of talc with asbestos, in July this yr the World Well being Group (WHO) concluded that mineral talc itself was “in all probability carcinogenic for people”.


Deborah, who didn’t need to be recognized by her actual title, additionally lives in Derbyshire, and was identified with ovarian most cancers at 29, simply two weeks after she and her husband had began making an attempt for a child.
“I used talcum powder for years as a teen,” she says.
“Actually all I had was some stabbing ache on a Sunday night time. I went to the physician and was despatched for an ultrasound on the Tuesday.”
Throughout the scan, a tumour was discovered on Deborah’s ovary. Just a few days later she had an operation, at which level docs informed her there was a danger the most cancers had unfold to her womb.
“Inside two weeks of the primary signs, I might had a full hysterectomy,” she says.
“I went from excitedly planning for a child to having all of my components eliminated.”
Deborah’s prognosis was 30 years in the past, and she or he and her husband finally went on to undertake.
However she nonetheless feels indignant that she was robbed of the possibility to conceive naturally.
“If [J&J] knew, they should not have been doing it,” she says.
KP Legislation, representing the claimants, has begun the method of litigation, which is anticipated to start out in the beginning of 2025.
Within the US, the agency has been sued by greater than 62,000 individuals and at the least $13bn has been paid out or put aside in response to the motion.
Instances there have seen the corporate discovered responsible for mesothelioma – an asbestos-specific most cancers – and gynaecological cancers ladies suffered after utilizing talc, with billions of {dollars} awarded in damages.
‘Fully clear’
Tom Longstaff, a companion at KP Legislation, says: “The case has been litigated repeatedly within the American judicial system however ladies within the UK deserve a solution, and compensation, right here.
“Asbestos cancers are inclined to have a latency of round 10 to 40 years. So we’re strolling right into a wave of ladies reaching an age the place asbestos cancers develop.”
Mr Longstaff’s agency despatched a pre-action letter to J&J in September, a vital step earlier than beginning proceedings. If the case goes forward, it could seemingly find yourself in court docket subsequent yr.
In response, Erik Haas – worldwide vice-president of litigation for Johnson & Johnson, mentioned the allegations in opposition to the corporate “defy logic, rewrite historical past and ignore the information”.
“J&J takes the problem of talc security extremely severely and all the time has,” he says.
“As our paperwork present, now we have relied upon probably the most state-of-the-art testing protocols for many years and have been solely clear with authorities establishments and tutorial researchers relating to our findings.”
Mr Haas additionally mentioned the concept that J&J hid the contaminated contents of its merchandise from the general public, authorities and different teams was “inconceivable and false”.

Litigation like this will take 4 or 5 years. A few of the ladies we spoke to concern they will not see it concluded.
Linda Jones has stage 4 most cancers.
“I haven’t got that lengthy left. I is perhaps useless by the point it is sorted out,” the 66-year-old, from Devon, says.
“I beloved [talcum powder]. After a shower at night time, it was an ideal huge heat hug placing on Johnson’s child powder.
“As quickly as my kids had been born, I used it on them.”
If she does get a settlement, she desires to assist different ladies going by related conditions. She hopes to arrange a vacation retreat for ladies identified with gynaecological cancers.
“I simply need to see them compensating everybody with no battle. We already had a battle within the States,” she says.
A J&J spokesperson mentioned: “Because the historical past of the US talc litigation reveals, the vast majority of circumstances tried resulted in defence verdicts or had been overturned in favour of the defence on attraction.
“The UK judicial system is vastly totally different than within the US, and we imagine that if a UK court docket has a chance to overview the scientific literature and firm paperwork in correct context, it too will conclude that Johnson’s child powder is protected, doesn’t comprise asbestos, and doesn’t trigger most cancers.”