Resumen de US government probes talc safety as ruling expands corporate liability

Industrial Minerals

• Cancer sufferer awarded damages from J&J while US Food & Drug Administration establish research to clarify the relation between talc and ovarian cancer. Initially named on the same lawsuit, Imerys dropped from the case and US talc mining association said to be unaffected by ruling.

  A US federal government review has been ordered into the potential link between talc and ovarian cancer following an "influx of adverse event reports".

  In August, a jury in the Los Angeles Superior Court ordered personal care product manufacturer Johnson & Johnson (J&J) to pay $417m to Eva Echeverria, who claimed she developed the disease after using its talc-based products for feminine hygiene purposes.

  The verdict, which included an order for $70m compensation and $347m in punitive damages, was the largest in a series of lawsuits against J&J alleging that it failed to adequately warn consumers about the cancer risks associated with its talc-based items.