Hundreds of women in Britain are planning to take on one of the world’s biggest pharmaceutical companies over alleged links between talcum powder and cancer.

Cassandra Wardle is one of the women launching a group action against Johnson & Johnson (J&J), the largest seller of talcum powder, after being diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2021.

Cassandra, who stumbled upon a Facebook article linking cancer and talcum after her diagnosis, said it was used on her as a child and that she continued to use it “for 20 years or more.” kept.

“You copy your mother who used it,” she said. “Baby powder was considered ‘safe for use’, even on baby’s buttocks.”

If it goes ahead, the legal action would be the first of its kind against a pharmaceutical multinational in the UK.

With 1,900 potential claimants, including cancer patients, survivors and families, lawyers say it will be the largest pharmaceutical product group action in English and Welsh legal history.

The BBC has spoken to a number of women suffering from gynecological cancer – many part of a group action – who believe that repeated use of talcum powder has played a role in their diagnosis.

His lawyers allege that for decades, talcum powder was contaminated with cancer-causing asbestos – they claim J&J knew about it but tried to suppress it.

J&J refuses to suppress any information and denies any connection between its baby powder, asbestos and cancer.

“Doctors said the cancer was unusual for my age of 44,” says Cassandra, from Alfreton, Derbyshire.

She says she regularly uses talcum powder as a deodorant after showering or cleaning hair, including on her genitals.

“I was just starting my chemo journey when I read about the link, but I was outraged that a corporate giant like J&J could do this,” she says.

At first, doctors believed Cassandra’s cancer was incurable.

“I went to counseling alone,” she says. “So I had to come home and tell my husband what they said, tell my parents they were going to bury me.

“I closed my business unit and laid off employees.

“I even created a non-creative acronym: ‘LAC – Life After Cass’.”

Then, he got an unexpected lifeline. The chemotherapy had actually induced an autoimmune condition, giving rise to late-stage cancer.

Cassandra survived. But the disease still had a devastating impact on his life.

He was forced to give up his business and an infection during chemotherapy damaged his vocal cords, reducing his voice to a whisper. The hysterectomy to remove the cancerous tissue had a huge impact on her body.

“I was immersed in surgical menopause,” she says.

“I would have loved to have children. I was never blessed like that, but my last ability to have children was taken away by cancer.”

Claims of links between talcum powder and cancer revolve around asbestos – a known carcinogen.

According to Cancer Research UK, talc is a mineral sometimes used in talcum powder and other cosmetic products.

Sophia Lowes, from the charity, said: “(Talc) can be mined in places where there is asbestos, which can lead to talc contamination. Asbestos is known to cause mesothelioma and cancers of the lungs, larynx and ovaries.

“The sale of asbestos-containing products is banned in the UK and cosmetic products are required to be safety-tested before they can be sold.”

Many of the documents were hidden from public view until Americans suffering from cancer sued the company.

J&J has been accused of knowing decades ago that its baby powder might contain asbestos contaminants.

J&J has previously said that “any suggestion that Johnson & Johnson knew or hid information about the safety of talcum powder is false”.

company Mineral-based talcum powder was discontinued in North America in 2020 – and followed suit in the UK last year – using cornstarch instead. J&J said this was due to financial pressure and a “misinformation campaign” surrounding the product.

While the focus of the group action is on the contamination of talc with asbestos, in July this year the World Health Organization (WHO) concluded that the mineral talc itself was. “Possibly carcinogenic to humans”.

Deborah, who did not want to be identified by her real name, also lives in Derbyshire, and was diagnosed with ovarian cancer at the age of 29, just two weeks after she and her husband started trying for a baby.

“I used talcum powder for years as a teenager,” she says.

“Literally Sunday night I just had a stabbing pain. I went to the doctor and on Tuesday I was sent for an ultrasound.”

During the scan a tumor was found on Deborah’s ovary. She underwent surgery a few days later, at which time doctors told her the cancer was at risk of spreading to her uterus.

“Within two weeks of the first symptoms, I had a total hysterectomy,” she says.

“I went from excitedly planning a baby to having all my organs removed.”

Deborah was diagnosed 30 years ago, and she and her husband eventually adopted her.

But she is still angry that her chance to conceive naturally was taken away from her.

“If (J&J) knew, they shouldn’t have done it,” she says.

KP Law, representing the claimants, has begun the litigation process, which is expected to begin in early 2025.

In the US, the company has been sued by more than 62,000 people and has paid or set aside at least $13 billion in response to the actions.

Such cases have seen the company held liable for mesothelioma – an asbestos-specific cancer – and gynecological cancers that occurred in women after using talc. Billions of dollars in damages awarded,

Tom Longstaff, partner at KP Law, says: “This case has been prosecuted repeatedly in the US judicial system, but the women in the UK deserve answers and compensation.

“Asbestos cancer has a latency of about 10 to 40 years. So we’re running into a wave of women who are reaching the age where asbestos cancer develops.”

Mr Longstaff’s firm sent a pre-action letter to J&J in September, a necessary step before proceedings can be initiated. If the case moves forward, it will likely end up in court next year.

In response, Eric Haas, Johnson & Johnson’s worldwide vice president of litigation, said the allegations against the company “defy logic, rewrite history and ignore the facts”.

“J&J takes and always has taken the issue of talc safety incredibly seriously,” he says.

“As our documentation shows, we have relied on the most cutting-edge testing protocols for decades and have been fully transparent with government institutions and academic researchers regarding our findings.”

Mr. Haas also said that the idea that J&J hid the contaminated ingredients of its products from the public, the government and other groups was “unimaginable and wrong.”

This type of litigation can take four or five years. Some of the women we spoke to feared they wouldn’t see the conclusion.

Linda Jones has stage four cancer, which has reached her bones and blood.

“I don’t have much time left,” says the 66-year-old from Devon. “I may be dead by the time this is sorted out.”

“I love[talcum powder]. After a nightly shower, applying Johnson’s Baby Powder was a huge warm hug.

“As soon as my kids were born, I used it on them.”

If she gets a settlement, she wants to help other women going through similar situations. She hopes to establish a holiday retreat for women suffering from gynecological cancers.

She says, “I just want to see them give compensation to everyone without any fight. We already have a fight in the states.”

A J&J spokesperson said: “As the history of US talc litigation shows, the vast majority of cases go to trial or are overturned in the defendants’ favor on appeal.

“The UK judicial system is significantly different from that of the US, and we believe that if a UK court had the opportunity to review the scientific literature and company documents in the proper context, it would also conclude that Johnson’s Baby Powder is safe, does not contain asbestos, and does not cause cancer.”

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