Talcum powder is something that’s been part of women’s beauty routines for years. In fact, women used to wear talcum powder as part of their beauty routine, often called beauty dust. Talcum powder has been linked to ovarian cancer in various studies, yet there are still no warning labels, so women continue to use it. Eva Echeverria, 53 of East Los Angeles is one of the thousands of women who have sued Johnson & Johnson, claiming that their baby powder gave them cancer.
The medical receptionist was awarded $417 million in damages who says she developed ovarian cancer after using Johnson’s Baby Powder on her perineum, which is the area between the anus and the scrotum or vulva. While it may seem odd that women do this, it’s more common than you think, especially since women sprinkle baby powder on their inner thighs to prevent chafing when they wear dresses or shorts, as well as sanitary pads and underwear.
Echeverria gave a videotaped deposition since she was too sick to testify in court. She began using the talc powder when she was 11 and in 2007 she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and continued wearing it since she was unaware of the studies that linked talc to cancer. “She told me, ‘I’m not doing this for myself,’” Mr. Robinson said. “She knows she’s going to die. She’s doing this for other women. She wants to do something good before she leaves,” says Echeverria’s lawyer, Mark Robinson.
