# Cancer and Talcum Powder **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [April 7, 2018, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cancer-and-talcum-powder/812000 "2018-04-07T20:37:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2018, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cancer-and-talcum-powder/812000/1 "2018-04-07T20:37:56Z")
[This week’s article.](https://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/9635/is-there-a-link-between-talcum-powder-and-ovarian-cancer/) And an update: [Couple suing Johnson & Johnson suing over talcum powder wins $37M](https://nypost.com/2018/04/06/couple-suing-johnson-johnson-over-talcum-powder-wins-37m/). I’m not convinced of the connection myself, just this is timely. EDIT: And yes, I CAN spell “and.” Damned Fat Finger Syndrome. If a Mod could fix the title, I would appreciate it. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2018, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cancer-and-talcum-powder/812000/2 "2018-04-08T18:19:54Z")
I worked in an auto parts plant for years. We made the lights for Gen Motors cars and trucks, using plastic by the train-car load. Talc was added to some of the plastic as the pellets were being moved by pneumatic tube to the molding machines. Why put talc in plastic? An engineer told me it added strength, or something. The place where the talc was dumped from 100 pound bags into hoppers was right next to a main aisle. When it happened, the whole area around it was befogged in talc powder until it settled. I do not know if breathing talc was making the nearby workers sick. I’m not a doctor, I was a factory worker. I only know I coughed when I was briefly in the dust cloud. I didn’t have to work in it every day. ---
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2018, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cancer-and-talcum-powder/812000/3 "2018-04-09T15:12:25Z")
> [@Cecil](#): > > …there are actually two routes by which it’s been suspected that talc causes cancer. The first involves talc miners, who according to a 1995 study were more likely than the general population to suffer both lung cancer and non-cancer lung diseases, leading the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health to claim tentatively that talc exposure may be “linked” to illness. This isn’t completely settled, either — other researchers implicate the miners’ smoking habits, and working underground increases your exposure to radon, itself a source of lung cancer. In other words, illness from breathing talc is a separate issue from shaking it on your hoo haw and it’s still not certain whether that includes cancer. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2018, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cancer-and-talcum-powder/812000/4 "2018-04-10T20:59:49Z")
To be clear, this particular case did not involve claiming that talcum powder caused this person’s mesothelioma\*, but that alleged asbestos contamination of the talc was responsible. There’s evidence that talc silicates themselves do not cause mesothelioma, and it’s questionable whether asbestos contamination of commercial talcum powder products has occurred. > **[Evaluation of the presence of asbestos in cosmetic talcum products - PubMed](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29124998/)** > > Talc has been used for over a century in a variety of cosmetic products. While pure cosmetic talc (free of asbestos) is not considered a risk factor for mesothelioma, it has been recently suggested that inhalation of cosmetic talc containing trace... > **[Cosmetic talc as a risk factor for pleural mesothelioma: a weight of evidence...](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28651470/)** > > We conclude that there is no epidemiological evidence to support the hypothesis that exposure to cosmetic talc is associated with the development of pleural mesothelioma. Another alleged talcum powder-cancer link involves risk of ovarian carcinoma, and the evidence here is conflicting. Good fodder for personal injury lawyers though. \*ironically, talc is used as a _treatment_ for mesothelioma, administered into pleural cavities to prevent the buildup of liquid (effusions) that occur in mesothelioma and inhibit breathing. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2018, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cancer-and-talcum-powder/812000/5 "2018-07-13T01:49:06Z")
> [@](#): > > A St. Louis jury on Thursday awarded nearly $4.7 billion in total damages to 22 women and their families after they alleged asbestos in Johnson & Johnson talcum powder contributed to their ovarian cancer. It was the first case against the company that focused on asbestos in the powder. > > The jury announced the $4.14-billion award in punitive damages shortly after awarding $550 million in compensatory damages following a six-week trial in St. Louis Circuit Court. > > Johnson & Johnson called the verdict the result of an unfair process that allowed the women to sue the company in Missouri even though most of them don’t live in the state. The company said it would appeal, as it has in previous cases that found for women who sued it. > **[Jury awards $4.7 billion in lawsuit linking Johnson & Johnson baby powder...](https://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-baby-powder-cancer-20180712-story.html)** > > A St. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2023, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cancer-and-talcum-powder/812000/6 "2023-07-17T02:58:52Z")
> As Johnson & Johnson awaits a decision on its second attempt to resolve talc lawsuits through a bankruptcy ploy, the company is attempting another legal tactic to free itself from those liabilities—suing doctors who say that its iconic baby powder can cause cancer. > > In federal district court in New Jersey, J&J’s talc subsidiary LTL Management has filed two suits against four doctors who authored studies that described a link between J&J’s talc-based products and cancer. > **[In talc defense, Johnson & Johnson sues 4 doctors over their 'junk...](https://www.fiercepharma.com/pharma/talc-defense-johnson-johnson-sues-4-doctors-over-their-junk-litigation-opinions)** > > As Johnson & Johnson awaits a decision on its second attempt to resolve talc lawsuits through a bankruptcy ploy, the company is attempting another legal tactic to free itself from those liabili | As Johnson & Johnson awaits a decision on... ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2023, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cancer-and-talcum-powder/812000/7 "2023-07-18T13:11:40Z")
[Moderating] Why yes, it did take five years to fix the typo in the title. Nobody reported it until now. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2024, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cancer-and-talcum-powder/812000/8 "2024-05-01T18:10:34Z")
> **[J&J subsidiary proposes paying about $6.48B over 25 years to settle talc...](https://apnews.com/article/johnson-johnson-settlement-talc-cancer-ff8866f7fe834b79f9d5c5af4af9c135)** > > A subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson is now proposing paying approximately $6.48 billion over 25 years as part of a settlement in the U.S. to cover allegations that its baby powder containing talc caused ovarian cancer. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2026, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cancer-and-talcum-powder/812000/9 "2026-07-28T12:11:52Z")
> **[Johnson & Johnson to pay $5.5bn settlement in talc cancer lawsuit](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/jul/28/johnson-johnson-5bn-settlement-talc-cancer-lawsuit)** > > Landmark deal covers about 76,000 claims and could end contentious, decade-long legal battle