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Internal Cosmetic Talc Litigation Media Coverage September 01, 2016
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Australian mining giant Rio Tinto sued with Johnson & Johnson over 'links between talcum powder and cancer'
Sep 6, 2016 | Daily Mail
By Louise Cheer
Rio Tinto has been named in a U.S. lawsuit claiming talcum powder linked to ovarian cancer came from mines run by its U.S. subsidiary. -
Woman may have died of talc exposure, inquest told
Sep 6, 2016 | Irish Independent
By Louise Roseingrave
A woman died as a result of suspected exposure to talcum powder, an inquest has heard. -
Rio Tinto sued over talcum powder cancer link
Sep 6, 2016 | Yahoo News
Rio Tinto is being sued over allegations talcum powder sourced from their mines has caused ovarian cancer. -
Women warned on talc use amid legal battle
Sep 6, 2016 | NEWS.com.au
By Belinda Tasker
Australian women are being advised to reconsider using talcum powder on their genitals amid a new legal battle in the US over whether it causes ovarian cancer. -
Rio Tinto unit sued with Johnson & Johnson over alleged talc cancer link
Sep 6, 2016 | The Sydney Morning Herald
By Sarah Danckert
Rio Tinto is being sued in the US by ovarian cancer sufferers who allege their use of talcum powder sourced from the resources giant's mines led to their medical condition. -
Ovarian cancer victims who used Johnson & Johnson talc powder include Rio Tinto Minerals in new lawsuit
Sep 6, 2016 | International Business Times
By Vittorio Hernandez
For supplying Johnson & Johnson the talc that ovarian cancer victims blame for their disease, Rio Tinto Minerals was included in a new lawsuit filed against the multinational. The latest lawsuit against the US healthcare giant was filed in Louisiana by four cancer patients and the husband of a woman who died of ovarian cancer. -
Rio Tinto subsidiary sued over talcum powder cancer link claims
Sep 6, 2016 | The Daily Telegraph
MINING giant Rio Tinto is embroiled in a US lawsuit over claims talcum powder from the resource giant’s mines led to women developing ovarian cancer. -
Rio Tinto accused of supplying Johnson & Johnson with talc that caused cancer
Sep 6, 2016 | 9News
Rio Tinto is being sued in the US over allegations talcum powder from the resource giant's mines led to women developing ovarian cancer. -
More bad news for anyone who uses talcum powder
Sep 6, 2016 | Healthy at 60
The fight between cancer victims and Johnson & Johnson has reached new heights as one of the world’s biggest mining companies has been named alongside the health product giant in the case over talcum powder. -
Rio Tinto and Johnson & Johnson sued over ovarian cancer claims
Sep 6, 2016 | 10 News
Australian mining giant Rio Tinto is being sued over talc powder it mined for its use in Johnson & Johnson baby powder products, after five US women developed ovarian cancer while using the powder for feminine hygiene purposes. -
Rio Tinto sued over possible link between talcum powder and ovarian cancer
Sep 6, 2016 | Australian Mining
By Sharon Masige
Rio Tinto, together with healthcare company Johnson & Johnson, is being sued in the United States over claims talcum powder from their mines led to five women developing ovarian cancer. -
Talcum powder manufacturer being sued by ovarian cancer sufferers
Sep 6, 2016 | Women's Weekly
Johnson & Johnson and Rio Tinto Minerals Inc have been named in a lawsuit, which claims five woman were diagnosed with ovarian cancer after using Johnson Baby Powder.
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Sep 6, 2016 | Daily Mail
By Louise Cheer
Rio Tinto named in U.S. lawsuit over Johnson & Johnson's talcum powder
Lawsuit claims talcum powder was mined by Rio's former U.S. subsidiary
Lodged in Louisiana by four women and husband of woman who died
Women diagnosed with ovarian cancer after using Johnson's baby powder
Rio Tinto has been named in a U.S. lawsuit claiming talcum powder linked to ovarian cancer came from mines run by its U.S. subsidiary.
The lawsuit was lodged in Louisiana by four women who are suffering from ovarian cancer and the husband of a woman who died against Johnson & Johnson and Rio Tinto's U.S. subsidiary.
The women had used the healthcare giant's baby powder and Shower to Shower products for 'feminine hygiene purposes', The Age reported.
They were diagnosed with ovarian cancer over the period of four years from 2011 to 2015.
Luzenac America, the company behind the talc which made up Johnson's baby powder and was formerly owned by US-based Rio Tinto Minerals Inc, is also being sued.
Rio Tinto, Johnson & Johnson and Luzenac America 'failed to inform its customers and end users of its products of a known catastrophic health hazard associated with the use of its products', the lawsuit claims.
'All of the defendants have been aware for nearly 40 years of independent scientific studies linking the use of their products to the increased risk of ovarian cancer in women when used in the perineal area,' court documents obtained by The Age said.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Rio Tinto for comment.
A Johnson & Johnson spokeswoman told The Age the multinational would 'continue to defend the safety of Johnson's Baby Powder'.
'Multiple scientific and regulatory reviews have determined that talc is safe for use in cosmetic products and the labelling on Johnson's Baby Powder is appropriate,' she said.
This latest case follows juries awarding ovarian cancer victims who blamed Johnson & Johnson talcum powder for their illness tens of millions of dollars in compensation.
A St. Louis jury ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay $55 million to a South Dakota survivor of the disease in May.
In February, another St. Louis jury awarded $72 million to relatives of an Alabama woman who died of ovarian cancer.
They were among several hundred lawsuits claiming that regularly applying products like Johnson's Baby Powder and Shower to Shower to the genitals can cause the often-lethal cancer.
Both cases were handled by the Onder Law Firm, based in suburban St. Louis, one of the firms with advertisements running across the U.S. that urge cancer victims to come forward.
The link between ovarian cancer and talc is still a matter of scientific dispute.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3775278/Australian-mining-giant-Rio-Tinto-sued-Johnson-Johnson-links-talcum-powder-cancer.html
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Woman may have died of talc exposure, inquest told
Sep 6, 2016 | Irish Independent
By Louise Roseingrave
A woman died as a result of suspected exposure to talcum powder, an inquest has heard.
Therese Lawlor (49) died on April 16, 2015. She had suffered due to ill health since a workplace accident in 1993, but died due to deposits of foreign materials in her lungs, Dublin Coroner's Court heard.
Ruling out other workplace environmental hazards, the inquest heard that the most likely cause was an exposure to talcum powder earlier in life.
Ms Lawlor, of Bloomville, Church Road, Malahide, Co Dublin, had worked as a sales representative in a commercial shopping environment. She had two surgeries following a workplace accident in 1993.
She fell off a stool used for packing shelves in a supermarket and never returned to work, according to her sister Catherine Lawlor.
Unwell
Ms Lawlor developed breathing problems in 2010.She had chronic back pain since her accident.
On the night before her death she called her sister and asked her to come over to feed her dogs as she was feeling unwell.
Catherine Lawlor stayed with Therese that night and found her dead in bed at around 11am the following morning. The cause of death was cardio-respiratory failure due to extensive pulmonary fibroids and hypertension due to deposition of foreign material in the lungs.
Consultant Pathologist Dr Munah Sabah found needle- shaped silicate deposits in Ms Lawlor's spleen, liver and bone marrow during a post-mortem examination.
She noted that foreign material circulating in the woman's system, predominantly in her lungs, created pulmonary hypertension.
Coroner Dr Myra Cullinane returned an open verdict, as the identity of the external agent could not specifically determined.
She noted a growing body of evidence regarding the dangers of exposure to talc.
"The exposure would have been 30 years ago or so, it takes a long time for it to establish," the coroner said.
Talc is a type of silicate, the court heard. It is too late to treat the effects of exposure once it develops into fibrosis, Dr Sabah said.
"Once you develop this there is no going back," Dr Sabah added.
Irish Independent
http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/courts/woman-may-have-died-of-talc-exposure-inquest-told-35024781.html
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Rio Tinto sued over talcum powder cancer link
Sep 6, 2016 | Yahoo News
Rio Tinto is being sued over allegations talcum powder sourced from their mines has caused ovarian cancer.
Healthcare giant Johnson & Johnson and Rio's wholly owned US subsidiary Rio Tinto Minerals Inc are named in a suit filed in Louisiana by four women with cancer and the husband of a woman who died.
Fairfax Media reports that court documents state that all five of the women were diagnosed with ovarian cancer in the years between 2011 and 2015 and had used Johnson Baby Powder and Shower to Shower.
The case is the latest in a string of more than 1000 cases brought against Johnson & Johnson over links between its talcum powder products and ovarian cancer but the first to also target Rio Tinto.
Johnson & Johnson has already been ordered to pay out two women who won a total of $172 million in damages in separate cases launched in Missouri with juries finding talc manufactured by the company had led to their terminal cancer.
Rio Tinto Minerals' subsidiary at the time Luzenac America is also named in the case as having mined the "talc at issue" which was used to manufacture Johnson's Baby Powder and Shower to Shower.
The court documents state that all three companies "failed to inform its customers and end users of its products of a known catastrophic health hazard associated with the use of its products".
"All of the defendants have been aware for nearly forty years of independent scientific studies linking the use of their products to the increased risk of ovarian cancer in women when used in the perineal area," the documents state.
"Luzenac America Inc and Rio Tinto Minerals Inc supply customers with materials safety data sheets for talc."
"These material safety data sheets are supposed to convey adequate health and warning information."
Rio Tinto directed the newspaper's media inquiries to the US, which had not replied by the time of publishing.
A spokeswoman for Johnson & Johnson told Fairfax Media that "multiple scientific and regulatory reviews have determined that talc is safe for use in cosmetic products and the labelling on Johnson's Baby Powder is appropriate".
https://au.news.yahoo.com/nsw/a/32540915/rio-tinto-sued-over-talcum-powder-cancer-link/#page1
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Women warned on talc use amid legal battle
Sep 6, 2016 | NEWS.com.au
By Belinda Tasker
Australian women are being advised to reconsider using talcum powder on their genitals amid a new legal battle in the US over whether it causes ovarian cancer.
Lauren Matthews is suing Johnson & Johnson and Australian mining giant Rio Tinto claiming she developed ovarian cancer after using the global healthcare company's talcum powder.
The case is the latest in a long line of similar legal battles launched by women who developed ovarian cancer after using Johnson & Johnson's powder and its Shower to Shower bodywash on their perineum.
Rio Tinto has been dragged into the latest fight because its former subsidiary, Luzenac America, mined the talc used as the main ingredient in Johnson & Johnson products.
Ms Matthews claims both companies were grossly negligent in failing to warn people about hazards associated with talc after several medical studies linked it to ovarian cancer, court papers filed in the Louisiana District Court show.
Australian health experts say while there is no definitive evidence of talc causing ovarian cancer, women who are concerned about its possible risks should avoid it.
Ovarian Cancer Australia recommends women stop using talcum powder on their genital area if possible.
"Ovarian Cancer Australia encourages women to do what they can to reduce their risk of developing ovarian cancer," it said.
Ovarian cancer is the most common cancer in post-menopausal women aged over 50.
Known risk factors include smoking, a family history of the disease, and endometriosis.
Scientific studies on talcum powder have had mixed results, with some reporting users have an increased risk of developing ovarian cancer while others found no risk.
The Cancer Council NSW says there is insufficient evidence to conclude talc users face a higher risk, and that it is unclear how talcum powder might influence the development of the disease.
In her court papers, Ms Matthews says she regularly dusted Johnson & Johson's talcum powder on her perineum and in 2011 was diagnosed with ovarian cancer at age 29.
She had no risk factors for the disease, genetic or otherwise.
Ms Matthews says Rio Tinto and Johnson & Johnson had a duty to know about the risks and put warnings on their powder.
Adjunct professor Terry Slevin, who chairs the Cancer Council's Occupational and Environmental Cancer Risk Committee, said warning labels don't make a lot of sense given that science doesn't clearly connect talc with ovarian cancer.
He noted that while alcohol was a known carcinogen, wine bottles aren't required to carry warnings.
"For people who are concerned and don't have to use talc, they can look to stop using it," he said.
Johnson & Johnson, which was ordered to pay $US72 million ($A94 million) and $US55 million to two ovarian cancer sufferers in separate legal cases earlier this year, said it stood by the safety of cosmetic talc.
"Multiple scientific and regulatory reviews have determined that talc is safe for use in cosmetic products and the labelling on Johnson's Baby Powder is appropriate," a spokesperson said.
http://www.news.com.au/national/breaking-news/us-woman-sues-rio-tinto-over-talc-use/news-story/a7adbf418fe73f3ce577d40918ceac7f
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Rio Tinto unit sued with Johnson & Johnson over alleged talc cancer link
Sep 6, 2016 | The Sydney Morning Herald
By Sarah Danckert
Rio Tinto is being sued in the US by ovarian cancer sufferers who allege their use of talcum powder sourced from the resources giant's mines led to their medical condition.
Rio Tinto's wholly owned subsidiary Rio Tinto Minerals Inc has been named alongside US healthcare product giant Johnson & Johnson in the cases filed in Louisiana by four cancer sufferers and the husband of a woman who died.
All five women were diagnosed with ovarian cancer between 2011 and 2015 and all used the products Johnson Baby Powder and Shower to Shower to "dust her perineum for feminine hygiene purposes", according to court documents obtained by Fairfax Media.
Johnson & Johnson has been subject to more than 1000 legal actions since concerns about the links between its talcum powder products, including Johnson's Baby Powder, and ovarian cancer sparked a legal frenzy in the US. Potential exposure to the product worldwide, including hundreds of thousands of Australians, could lead to further cases.
Since February, two women have won damages claims totalling $172 million in separate cases launched in Missouri after juries found their use of talc had led to their terminal ovarian cancer.
This is the first major talc case to embroil Rio Tinto, a mainstay stock for Australia's major superannuation funds, and if the jury finds a link between its products and the cancer it could cost the miner many millions in compensation payments.
Rio Tinto Minerals and its then wholly owned talc subsidiary Luzenac America mined the "talc at issue in this case" which was then used to make Johnson's Baby Powder and Shower to Shower, the complaints state.
The cases filed in Louisiana allege Johnson & Johnson, Rio Tinto Minerals and Luzenac "failed to inform its customers and end users of its products of a known catastrophic health hazard associated with the use of its products".
"All of the defendants have been aware for nearly forty years of independent scientific studies linking the use of their products to the increased risk of ovarian cancer in women when used in the perineal area.
"Luzenac America Inc and Rio Tinto Minerals Inc supply customers with materials safety data sheets for talc. These material safety data sheets are supposed to convey adequate health and warning information."
Rio Tinto, which sold Luzenac in 2011, was contacted for comment and was unable to respond by deadline after the Melbourne-based company referred the request to its US office.
A spokeswoman for Johnson & Johnson said the company would "continue to defend the safety of Johnson's Baby Powder".
"Multiple scientific and regulatory reviews have determined that talc is safe for use in cosmetic products and the labelling on Johnson's Baby Powder is appropriate," the spokeswoman said.
"For over 100 years, Johnson & Johnson has provided consumers with a safe choice for cosmetic powder products and we will continue to work hard to exceed consumer expectations and evolving product preferences."
More recently, in August a court in New Jersey threw out two unrelated cases against Johnson & Johnson over concerns about the quality of the expert evidence provided by the plaintiffs in that case.
http://www.smh.com.au/business/mining-and-resources/rio-tinto-unit-sued-alongside-johnson--johnson-over-alleged-links-between-talc-and-cancer-20160905-gr9622.html
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Sep 6, 2016 | International Business Times
By Vittorio Hernandez
For supplying Johnson & Johnson the talc that ovarian cancer victims blame for their disease, Rio Tinto Minerals was included in a new lawsuit filed against the multinational. The latest lawsuit against the US healthcare giant was filed in Louisiana by four cancer patients and the husband of a woman who died of ovarian cancer.
Sydney Morning Herald reports the five women were diagnosed with ovarian cancer between 2011 and 2015 and were regular users of Johnson Baby Powder and Shower to Shower which they applied on their perineum for feminine hygiene purposes. The latest lawsuit adds to the more than 1,000 cases filed against Johnson & Johnson.
Two women won damages totaling US$172 million (A$226.6 million) in two separate cases filed in Missouri. A Missouri state jury award US$72 million (A$1000 million) to the family of Jacqueline Fox from Birmingham, Alabama in late February. In May, a Missouri court awarded US$55 million (A$71.6 million) to Gloria Ristesund of South Dakota.
In all the previous cases, only Johnson & Johnson was sued. Valeant Pharmaceuticals, the owner now of Shower to Shower, was excluded in the lawsuits. This is the first time that Rio Tinto Minerals has been included in a lawsuit over the ovarian cancer allegedly caused by talc.
Also included in the lawsuit is Luzenac America, subsidiary of Rio Tinto Minerals, which the complaints state mined the talc at issue in the case used to manufacture Johnson’s Baby Power and Shower to Shower. The lawsuit says the three companies “failed to inform its customers and end users of its products of a known catastrophic health hazard associated with the use of its products.”
They claim the defendants were aware of almost 40 years of independent scientific studies which linked the use of their products to higher risk of ovarian cancer when the talc was applied in the perineal area, reports 9News. A spokeswoman for Johnson & Johnson insists “multiple scientific and regulatory reviews have determined that talc is safe for use in cosmetic products and the labelling on Johnson’s Baby Powder is appropriate.”
http://www.ibtimes.com.au/ovarian-cancer-victims-who-used-johnson-johnson-talc-powder-include-rio-tinto-minerals-new-lawsuit
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Rio Tinto subsidiary sued over talcum powder cancer link claims
Sep 6, 2016 | The Daily Telegraph
MINING giant Rio Tinto is embroiled in a US lawsuit over claims talcum powder from the resource giant’s mines led to women developing ovarian cancer.
Global healthcare giant Johnson & Johnson and Rio’s US subsidiary Rio Tinto Minerals Inc are being sued in Louisiana by four women with cancer and the husband of a woman who died.
Fairfax Media reports that court documents state that all five of the women were diagnosed with ovarian cancer in the years between 2011 and 2015 and had used Johnson Baby Powder and Shower to Shower for “for feminine hygiene purposes”.
The case is the latest in a string of more than 1000 cases brought against Johnson & Johnson over links between its talcum powder products and ovarian cancer but the first to also target Rio Tinto.
Johnson & Johnson has already been ordered to pay out two women more than $172 million in damages in separate cases launched in Missouri with juries finding talc manufactured by the company had led to their terminal cancer.
The firms are accused of failing to inform customers of “a known catastrophic health hazard associated with the use of its products”, the suit states.
“All of the defendants have been aware for nearly 40 years of independent scientific studies linking the use of their products to the increased risk of ovarian cancer in women when used in the perineal area” the lawsuit says.
Johnson & Johnson have consistently defended the safety of their product.
“For over 100 years, Johnson & Johnson has provided consumers with a safe choice for cosmetic powder products and we will continue to work hard to exceed consumer expectations and evolving product preferences,” a spokeswoman for the company recently said.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/business/rio-tinto-subsidiary-sued-over-talcum-powder-cancer-link-claims/news-story/a1da29bd586bfd63c8596a734756c419
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Rio Tinto accused of supplying Johnson & Johnson with talc that caused cancer
Sep 6, 2016 | 9News
Rio Tinto is being sued in the US over allegations talcum powder from the resource giant's mines led to women developing ovarian cancer.
Global healthcare giant Johnson & Johnson and Rio's US subsidiary Rio Tinto Minerals Inc are being sued in Louisiana by four women with cancer and the husband of a woman who died, The Age reports.
The five women, who developed cancer between 2011 and last year, all used Johnson Baby Powder and Shower to Shower "for feminine hygiene purposes", court documents state.
The lawsuit is the latest in a string of more than 1000 legal actions brought against Johnson & Johnson over its talcum powder products but is the first to also target Rio.
Rio Tinto Minerals wholly owned talc subsidiary Luzenac America, which mined the talc used by Johnson & Johnson and has also been named in the lawsuit.
The three firms are accused of failing to inform customers of "a known catastrophic health hazard associated with the use of its products", the suit states.
"All of the defendants have been aware for nearly 40 years of independent scientific studies linking the use of their products to the increased risk of ovarian cancer in women when used in the perineal area" it says.
Rio Tinto's Australian office directed media inquiries to the US, which did not reply by the time of publishing.
A spokeswoman for Johnson & Johnson said the company would "continue to defend the safety of Johnson's Baby Powder".
"Multiple scientific and regulatory reviews have determined that talc is safe for use in cosmetic products and the labelling on Johnson's Baby Powder is appropriate," she said.
http://www.9news.com.au/world/2016/09/06/01/18/rio-tinto-accused-of-selling-talc-that-caused-cancer
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More bad news for anyone who uses talcum powder
Sep 6, 2016 | Healthy at 60
The fight between cancer victims and Johnson & Johnson has reached new heights as one of the world’s biggest mining companies has been named alongside the health product giant in the case over talcum powder.
Johnson & Johnson is already being sued by four cancer sufferers and the husband of a woman who died, with the plaintiffs claiming their use of talcum powder lead to their ovarian cancer diagnosis.
Now, mining giant Rio Tinto has been named in the case too as it is the company that supplies the mineral to Johnson & Johnson.
All five women named in the case were diagnosed with ovarian cancer between 2011 and 2015 and all used the products Johnson Baby Powder and Shower to Shower to “dust her perineum for feminine hygiene purposes”, according to court documents obtained by Fairfax Media.
Rio Tinto Minerals and its then wholly owned talc subsidiary Luzenac America mined the “talc at issue in this case” which was then used to make Johnson’s Baby Powder and Shower to Shower, the complaints state.
According to the court documents, Johnson & Johnson, Rio Tinto Minerals and Luzenac “failed to inform its customers and end users of its products of a known catastrophic health hazard associated with the use of its products”.
“All of the defendants have been aware for nearly forty years of independent scientific studies linking the use of their products to the increased risk of ovarian cancer in women when used in the perineal area.
“Luzenac America Inc and Rio Tinto Minerals Inc supply customers with materials safety data sheets for talc. These material safety data sheets are supposed to convey adequate health and warning information.”
The case has lead to many people questioning how a product so dangerous was able to be sold around the world for so many years.
Many women say they have now stopped using the product all together and are disappointed it was allowed on the market when the companies new the risks associated with it.
https://startsat60.com/health/more-bad-news-for-anyone-who-uses-talcum-powder
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Rio Tinto and Johnson & Johnson sued over ovarian cancer claims
Sep 6, 2016 | 10 News
Australian mining giant Rio Tinto is being sued over talc powder it mined for its use in Johnson & Johnson baby powder products, after five US women developed ovarian cancer while using the powder for feminine hygiene purposes.Johnson & Johnson is also named in the lawsuit, levelled by four women and the husband of a woman who died of cancer, in the US state of Louisiana.
The women’s cancers developed between 2011 and 2015, during which time they used either Johnson Baby Powder or Shower to Showerproducts to “dust her perineum for feminine hygiene purposes,” according to court documents.
According to the lawsuit, both companies were aware of “Independent scientific studies linking the use of their products to the increased risk of ovarian cancer in women when used in the perineum area,” and that they “failed to inform its customers and end users of its products of a known catastrophic health hazard associated with the use of its products.”
This is not the first legal action against Johnson & Johnson over its baby powder – two separate cases in Missouri this year ended with the healthcare giant forced to pay a combined US $127 million in damages – $55 million to a woman with cancer, and $72 million to the family of a woman who died of cancer – after juries found the women’s use of talc powder resulted in the development of their terminal illnesses.
Over 1200 other lawsuits have also been filed against Johnson & Johnson, linking its baby powder products to ovarian cancers, but this is the first case that also named Rio Tinto’s US subsidiary Rio Tinto Minerals Inc and Luzenac – a company Rio Tinto sold in 2011 - for its supply of the raw material.
However, Johnson & Johnson said it would “continue to defend the safety of Johnson’s Baby Powder.”
“Multiple scientific and regulatory reviews have determined that talc is safe for use in cosmetic products and the labelling on Johnson’s Baby Powder is appropriate,” spokeswoman Carol Goodrich said.
“For over 100 years, Johnson & Johnson has provided consumers with a safe choice for cosmetic powder products.”
The Johnson & Johnson website claims, “Few ingredients have the same demonstrated performance, mildness and safety profile as cosmetic talc.”
http://tenplay.com.au/news/national/september/rio-tinto-and-johnson-johnson-sued-over-ovarian-cancer-claims
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Rio Tinto sued over possible link between talcum powder and ovarian cancer
Sep 6, 2016 | Australian Mining
By Sharon Masige
Rio Tinto, together with healthcare company Johnson & Johnson, is being sued in the United States over claims talcum powder from their mines led to five women developing ovarian cancer.
The cases naming both Johnson & Johnson and Rio’s subsidiary Rio Tinto Minerals, were filed in Louisiana by four cancer sufferer’s and the husband of one woman who died, The Sydney Morning Herald reports.
The five women had all been diagnosed with ovarian cancer between 2011 and 2015 and, in court documents gained by Fairfax Media, had each used Johnson Baby Powder and Shower to Shower products to “dust her perineum for feminine hygiene purposes”.
This is Rio’s first major case involving talcum powder and, if a connection between the powder and ovarian cancer is determined, could lead to millions compensation payouts.
Rio Tinto was recently ordered to pay a former coal miner $1.272 million in damages and compensation after illegally standing him down.
Following concerns over the link between Johnson & Johnson’s talcum powder products and ovarian cancer, the company has faced more than 1000 legal actions as a result.
Two women, in separate court cases in Missouri, each won damages claims totalling $172 million, after the juries identified their use of talc led to their ovarian cancer.
At the time, Rio Tinto’s then subsidiary Luzenac America had mined the talc used in the products, with the cases filed against them alleging the companies had “failed to inform” their customers of the health risks associated with using the product.
Rio sold Luzenac in 2011.
A Johnson & Johnson spokeswoman said they would “continue to defend the safety of Johnson’s Baby Powder”.
“Multiple scientific and regulatory reviews have determined that talc is safe for use in cosmetic products and the labelling on Johnson’s Baby Powder is appropriate.”
https://www.australianmining.com.au/news/rio-tinto-sued-possible-link-talcum-powder-ovarian-cancer/
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Talcum powder manufacturer being sued by ovarian cancer sufferers
Sep 6, 2016 | Women's Weekly
Johnson & Johnson and Rio Tinto Minerals Inc have been named in a lawsuit, which claims five woman were diagnosed with ovarian cancer after using Johnson Baby Powder.
Following reports that more than 1000 cases of John & Johnson products being linked to ovarian cancer, Rio Tinto Minerals Inc are the latest group to be added to the lawsuit. This comes after it was discovered that Rio Tinto subsidiary during this period, Luzenac America, mined the "talc at issue", which was then used in Johnson's Baby Powder and Shower to Shower.
The plaintiffs of the case, from Louisiana in the US, are four woman who have ovarian cancer, and a husband of a woman who, in fact, has passed away. Court documents suggest that each of these women used the aforementioned Johnson products during 2011 and 2015, which lead to their cancer diagnoses.
Similarly, Johnson & Johnson have already paid out two women from Missouri in the US, who claimed that the talc used in this company's products lead them to be diagnosed with terminal cancer. The court ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay these women a total of $172million in damages.
Despite a spokesperson for Rio Tinto Minerals Inc stating that "multiple scientific and regulatory reviews have determined that talc is safe for use in cosmetic products and the labeling on Johnson's Baby Powder is appropriate", the numerous lawsuits piling up suggest something else.
According to the Cancer Council, those who have ovarian cancer may not show any symptoms. However, if they do, this is what doctors suggest to look out for:
Abdominal bloatingDifficulty eating or feeling full quicklyFrequent or urgent urinationBack, abdominal or pelvic painConstipationMenstrual irregularitiesFatigueIndigestionPain during sexual intercourse
If you have any of these symptoms, or would like to learn more about ovarian cancer, visit your local GP.
http://www.aww.com.au/latest-news/news-stories/talcum-powder-manufacturer-being-sued-by-ovarian-cancer-sufferers-28693
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