Ohio Defective Product Liability Attorneys

The majority of the products we purchase are safe. And there are government agencies in plan whose mission it is to protect us from dangerous or defective products. Yet, each year harmful products still make it to the market. Sometimes the product is unreasonably dangerous or defective. Or there may be insufficient instructions or warning labels. These products can include anything from defective automobiles, to unsafe drugs, faulty baby cribs or potentially dangerous window blinds.

Faulty products can cause severe injuries such as burns, severe shock and even wrongful death. When they do, the manufacturer, distributors, retailers and installers of the product can and should be held accountable.

Product Liability Claims

Product liability claims do not require that you prove that the manufacturer, distributer, retailer or installer was negligent. Instead, a product liability lawsuit can be filed if the victim can prove they were injured while properly using the product.

We handle product liability cases involving a wide variety of products and situations including:

• Asbestos claims
• Injuries from power tools and industrial equipment
• Home and kitchen appliance injuries
• Injuries or poisoning from toys and children’s products
• Food poisoning and contaminated food products
• Dangerous drugs and pharmaceutical products, including defective Fentanyl Patches

Just For Men Hair Dye

Just For Men hair dye has been on the shelves and endorsed by celebrities for 25 years as a convenient way to get rid of grey hair and look younger.

But now users of Combe Incorporated’s Just For Men hair dyeing products are feeling the burn. In October 2012, reports began to emerge from consumers who had allegedly received chemical burns after using the product. Research revealed that the formula had been changed to contain P-Phenylenediamine or PPD, a globally recognized chemical that has significant potential for reactions in more than five percent of the general population. This rate increases in African-American men. Researchers are questioning why Combe did not look for other proven methods for dyeing hair.

A warning on the product’s box recommends that consumers test the dye on a small spot on their arm before applying, but the instructions are vague and difficult to follow. Consumers are instructed to not bathe, wear long sleeve shirts, sweat or do anything that might disturb the area for 48 hours. In addition, the warning fails to include a list of potential side effects that users should be looking for during those 48 hours. To further complicate the issue, the side effects do not always appear during the spot test and have erupted on users’ faces after subsequent applications.

Potential side effects and allergic reactions include:

• Facial swelling
• Severe burning pain on skin
• Sores on the skin that “weep”
• Severe itching
• Blistering
• Rapidly spreading skin rash
• Scarring

The lawyers of  Kitrick, Lewis & Harris are investigating these reports and would like to hear from anyone who has suffered a chemical burn due to Just For Men hair dyeing products. To learn more, schedule a free no-obligation legal consultation with Kitrick, Lewis & Harris.

Talcum Baby Powder

Baby powder, facial powders, adult body powder and many other hygiene products used to help absorb moisture and reduce friction list talcum powder, which consists of magnesium, silicon and oxygen, as a main ingredient. The same talc used in these hygiene products is also used to make plastic, ceramic, paint, paper, rubber and pharmaceutical products.

Some of the more common products associated with talcum powder include:

• Borotalco Talcum Powder
• Caldesene Protecting Powder
• Cashmere Bouquet
• Estee Lauder Body Powder
• Gold Bond Body Powder
• Johnson’s Baby Powder
• King Talc Powder
• Maja Talcum Powder
• Nivea Talcum Powder
• Pinaud Clubman Finest Talc
• Shower to Shower
• Summer’s Eve Body Powder

OVARIAN CANCER

Recent studies have shown a link between talc and increased risk of ovarian cancer in women who use products containing the ingredient on a daily basis. Investigations have also revealed that Johnson & Johnson, along with other hygiene product manufacturers, may have known for years about the link between talcum powder and ovarian cancer but neglected to warn consumers of the risks.

Talcum powder can cause chronic inflammation of the ovarian epithelium due to talc particles that migrate from the vaginal area to the upper genital tract where the ovaries are located. It has been estimated that as many as 10% of all ovarian cancer deaths in the U.S. are from exposure to talc via feminine hygiene products.

Dating back to 1971, British surgeons found that many ovarian tumors had talc particles embedded in the tissue and in the pelvic lymph nodes. The first study linking talc to ovarian cancer was released in 1982 and a memo from a Johnson & Johnson consultant from 1997 stated that denial of the link between talcum powder and ovarian cancer is as substantial as the link between cigarette smoking and lung cancer.

MESOTHELIOMA

Mesothelioma, one of the deadliest forms of cancer that attacks the lining of the heart, lungs or stomach, is typically fatal within five years or less after diagnosis. Mesothelioma is usually linked with asbestos, which was used in home insulation products and road materials until it was found to cause the deadly disease. Shockingly, up until 1973, many talcum powder products contained asbestos. Federal law prohibited the sale of these products, but it has been found that some manufacturers continued to sell products with asbestos well into the 1980s.

THE LAWSUITS

People who have developed ovarian cancer or mesothelioma potentially due to the use of talcum powder products have already filed hundreds of lawsuits across the country.

February 2016

An Alabama woman was awarded $72 million in a lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson over ovarian cancer caused by Johnson & Johnson’s Baby Powder and Shower to Shower. This was the first verdict out of more than 1,200 lawsuits against Johnson & Johnson filed by women diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

April 2013

A California woman was awarded $13 million in a lawsuit against Colgate-Palmolive due to mesothelioma caused by Cashmere Bouquet talcum powder, which contained asbestos for years.

Several other lawsuits have also been filed by workers diagnosed with mesothelioma caused by exposure to asbestos-filled talc in their workplace.

You or your loved one may be eligible to file a lawsuit against the companies that make these products. The lawyers at Kitrick, Lewis & Harris are investigating the reports and would like to hear from anyone who has been diagnosed with cancer due to talcum powder use.