Study finds no ‘statistically significant’ correlation between baby powder and ovarian cancer

A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that there is no statistically significant link between the use of baby powder and ovarian cancer.

The study, which comes as baby powder manufacturer Johnson & Johnson faces millions of dollars in punitive damages from court cases over its talcum-based products, found that there was “not a statistically significant association between use of powder in the genital area and incident ovarian cancer.”

“This represents the best data we have on the topic,” the study’s lead author told NBC News.

Baby powder manufacturers have faced mounting criticism over health concerns associated with their products, including worries about ovarian cancers as well as accusations that Johnson & Johnson in particular knew that its talcum-based powder contained asbestos for years, contributing to cases of mesothelioma.

A jury in New York ordered the company to pay $300 million in damages over that scandal last year, though Johnson & Johnson has vowed to appeal the verdict. Other lawsuits against the company in New Jersey and California have also been successful. Another in South Carolina failed, with a jury finding that the powder did not contain significant amounts of asbestos.

“This trial suffered significant legal and evidentiary errors which Johnson & Johnson believes will warrant a reversal on appeal. Decades of tests by independent experts and academic institutions repeatedly confirm that Johnson’s Baby Powder does not contain asbestos or cause cancer,” the company told The Hill last year.

“Of all the verdicts against Johnson & Johnson that have been through the appellate process, every one has been overturned,” the company added.