Some 3,500 Brits say their deadly cancer was caused by talcum powder made by pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson.
The patients are sueing the firm in what is believed to be the largest case against a medical company in English legal history.
Lawyers for the alleged victims claim US firm knew the product contained the cancer-causing substance asbestos for decades, but failed to warn customers and continued to sell it until 2022.
In November it was reported almost 2,000 people were involved in the legal action, but this has risen rapidly as awareness of the potential link has spread.
Now, MailOnline has shone a light on the alleged victims, some of whom lost their lives after battling gruelling disease that their families insist was triggered by the bathroom cabinet staple.
One of those involved in the legal action is Jeffrey Wright.
Now in his late 70s, he lost his ‘slim and fit’ wife Maureen, a mother-of-three, to aggressive ovarian cancer in the 90s.
He recalled that the first sign of the disease which would kill her was when she felt a lump in the left side of her stomach during a fitness class.
One of those who believes talcum powder has robbed them of a loved one is Jeffrey Wright whose wife Maureen (pictured), died of ovarian cancer in the 90s after developing the disease at just 35
Despite treatment it was later revealed the disease had spread to other parts of her body, including her spine, liver and kidney.
Within five years of her diagnosis, Mrs Wright was dead.
Mr Wright, who lives in Essex and is a retired businessman, said his wife frequently used talcum powder ‘all over her body’.
‘For as long as I can remember there was always talc in our bathroom,’ he said.
‘Maureen would use it all over her body after showering. If I kissed her just afterwards, I would say to her that I could smell the talc on her lips.’
He added her death devastated the family and had a life-long impact on their children.
‘They all left school without any meaningful qualifications because they couldn’t settle down to study, sometimes walking out of class in the middle of the day because they were angry about the loss,’ he said.
Another seeking compensation is Linda Jones, who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer last November.
Linda Jones, who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer last November, is among the women launching the class action
Doctors have told the 66-year-old she may only have a few years left to live.
The company director from North Devon recalled how her mother use to put the powder, commonly called talc, on her body when she was a baby and she herself also used it for years.
‘We just trusted what the adverts said and believed it was a good product,’ she said.
‘My children will lose their mother, I may never even meet my first grandchild, and my husband and I have been robbed of our retirement together after just six years of marriage.
‘If there was any suggestion whatsoever that the talcum powder would cause harm to not only women, but small babies, it should have been taken off the market.’
‘It makes you wonder how many other women have already died because they may have been exposed.’
Cassandra Wardle, from Alfreton in Derbyshire, who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2022 at the age of just 44, is another taking part in the action.
Mrs Wardle said talcum powder was used on her as a baby and as an adult she would regularly use it as a deodoriser across her whole body, including her genitals.
Cassandra Wardle, who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2021, is among the women launching the class action
‘It’s just what people did. Johnson and Johnson talcum powder was in every home and was a trusted brand,’ she said.
‘I am grateful to still be here, but I am also incredibly angry.
‘I want to know why Johnson & Johnson didn’t change the ingredients of the talcum powder when they knew that it was dangerous.’
Sharon Doherty, 57, from Londonderry, Northern Ireland, was another talc user diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2020.
Despite surgery and six months of chemotherapy, Ms Doherty was recently told her cancer has returned. She is now awaiting further NHS treatment.
The 57-year-old said: ‘My mum would use the talcum powder on us all after a bath, and I continued to do so as I got older.’
The British action against Johnson & Johnson (J&J), which could start this month, follows thousands of similar claims in the US which have led the company to pay out billions of dollars in compensation.
J&J only discontinued sales of its mineral-based talc last year after stopping US sales in 2020.
In 2020, Sharon Doherty, 57, who lives in Londonderry, Northern Ireland, was also diagnosed with ovarian cancer on the left side, and fallopian tube cancer on the right side
The company previously said this was due to financial pressures and a ‘misinformation campaign’ around the product.
Tom Longstaff, a partner at KP Law who is leading the UK case, said ‘innocent individuals deserve justice’.
‘All the claimants who have sustained cancer after using J&J’s talcum powder products have experienced a life-changing illness,’ he told The Guardian.
‘In some cases they have died from their cancer, leaving their families devastated.’
A spokesperson for Kenvue, formerly part of J&J which is leading on talc-related claims outside North America, said they ‘sympathise deeply’ with cancer patients but added studies have shown the use of their product doesn’t cause the disease.
‘For over a decade, lawyers in the United States have created unfounded confusion and unnecessary fear about talc, an ingredient that has been used safely in foods, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and consumer products for decades,’ they said.
‘It is clear that lawyers are now seeking to exploit cancer patients and their families in the United Kingdom by spreading this same fear.
They added they ‘stand behind’ the safety of J&J baby powder and that the product doesn’t contain asbestos or cause cancer.
Nearly 2,000 cancer patients, survivors and their families are expected to sign up to a class action lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson
Erik Haas, worldwide vice president of litigation J&J, previously said the company ‘takes the issue of talc safety incredibly seriously and always has’.
He added: ‘As our documents show, we have relied upon the most state-of-the-art testing protocols for decades and have been entirely transparent with government institutions and academic researchers regarding our findings.
‘Those findings uniformly show the absence of asbestos contamination in Johnson’s baby powder and the talc sourced for Johnson’s Baby Powder.
‘Independent science makes clear that talc is not associated with the risk of ovarian cancer.’
Mr Haas also claimed J&J had won the ‘vast majority’ of trials in the US.
The British action is expected to take between four and five years, which has left some of women involved fearing they might not live to see the conclusion.
In the US, J&J has been sued by more than 62,000 people and at least $13bn (£10.3bn) has been paid out or set aside in response to the action.
Last year the World Health Organisation classified talc, the ingredient in talcum powder, as ‘probably carcinogenic to humans’.
