If you perform a quick internet search for a listing of carcinogens, you won’t necessarily find talcum powder, sometimes referred to as talc, on the list. However, you may encounter various recent news stories in which plaintiffs have won cases against talcum powder manufacturers after receiving cancer diagnoses like mesothelioma.
Below, we’ll explore what talc is and information about the connection between its use and mesothelioma, a very aggressive and incurable form of cancer. We’ll also highlight why individuals are lining up to hold manufacturers liable for the physical manifestations of their diseases.
What Is Talc and What Products Contain It?
Talc is a mineral comprised of hydrogen, silicon, oxygen, and magnesium that naturally occurs along Earth’s surface. This mineral has long been used as a moisture-wicking, anti-caking, dusting, or thickening agent in a variety of products, including:
- Paint
- Makeup
- Roofing materials
- Ceramics
This mineral is also sometimes used as a plastic extender.
Dangers Talc Poses to Human Health
Talc, in itself, generally isn’t dangerous. However, it naturally occurs alongside asbestos, which leaves talc open to becoming naturally contaminated by the known carcinogen. Individuals who have been exposed to this contaminated talc have been shown to have a higher incidence rate of asbestos-related medical conditions, including:
- Lung fibrosis
- Mesothelioma
- Malignant gynecologic tumors
- Ovarian carcinomas
Scientists’ efforts to make sense of the connection between talcum powder use and cancer and other debilitating diagnoses are still fairly new. For example, asbestos in manufacturing has largely been prohibited here in the United States for decades. Regulators still deem non-asbestos-laden talcum powder as relatively safe.
Researchers leave the door open to continue exploring potential dangers associated with talcum powder use that isn’t contaminated by asbestos to see if it alone presents serious health hazards.
How Do Individuals Exposed to Asbestos-Laden Talc Contract Cancer?
Many ovarian cancer and gynecologic cancer diagnoses that patients have attributed to their talc powder use have to do with direct skin contact with the asbestos-contaminated mineral.
Individuals who have contracted mesothelioma attributable to asbestos-contaminated talcum powder may have been exposed to it in various ways, including when:
- Mining for talc
- Formulating products contaminated with it
- Coming into contact with a household member’s contaminated belongings
- Using or inhaling products contaminated with it
Is There a Cure for Mesothelioma?
No cure currently exists that can reverse the hand of time and cause a patient not to have mesothelioma. There’s seldom a situation in which doctors catch a patient’s mesothelioma early enough that they can receive aggressive treatment and reverse what will ultimately be a dismal fate.
It’s important that you don’t allow the lack of a cure for mesothelioma to discourage you. Treatment options exist that can significantly reduce your adverse symptoms and potentially extend the time you can spend with your loved one. These include:
- Surgery
- Chemotherapy
- Radiation
- Targeted therapy
- Immunotherapy
Researchers are also actively working on various clinical trials across the country, many of which give us all hope that they’re close to finding a cure for this malignant mesothelioma.
Recovery Options Available to Mesothelioma Patients
Many companies that knowingly produced asbestos-laden products decades ago have since changed ownership or gone out of business. Many of them ended up filing for bankruptcy, perhaps foreshadowing the impending influx of lawsuits that would be filed against them by sickly employees who had been exposed to asbestos on the job in decades past. Scientific research between the 1960s and 1980s often discussed asbestos as a potential carcinogen.
The good news is that many bankruptcy trustees could see the writing on the wall in terms of ill consumers or workers filing lawsuits against product manufacturers or employers in the future. These judges set aside any proceeds made from the liquidation of those companies’ assets in trusts in the eventuality these individuals ultimately pursued litigation.
Here at Frost Law Firm, PC, our practice is built around helping people like you who suffer from debilitating mesothelioma symptoms. We understand how it feels to be taken advantage of by those you trusted to do right by you. We won’t stop fighting until we hold negligent parties accountable and recover every penny possible to ensure you receive the best care it can get you.
Reaching out to us to schedule a complimentary case evaluation with an attorney in our office is all that stands between you and getting the higher quality care you desperately need to make you a bit more comfortable.
