Asbestos-Contaminated Talc Central to Old Spice Mesothelioma Lawsuit

Willie McNeal Jr., a Vietnam War veteran and retired school bus driver, was awarded $4.8 million by a California Superior Court jury that determined asbestos-contaminated talc led to his diagnosis of malignant pleural mesothelioma. Whittaker, Clark & Daniels, a longtime talc supplier now based in South Plainfield, New Jersey, was ordered to pay McNeal $1.8 million in compensatory damages and $3 million in punitive damages. The verdict stemmed from evidence presented that an Old Spice powder product, used almost daily by McNeal for more than 20 years, contained talc from a mine in North Carolina known to be contaminated by toxic asbestos, a naturally occurring mineral that can cause mesothelioma cancer. Old Spice is a registered trademark of Procter & Gamble, which discontinued the powder product many years ago. McNeal, 78, was diagnosed in 2017, a year before his case was filed against more than a dozen defendants. According to court records, Johnson & Johnson, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, Pep Boys and AutoZone Inc. also were named as contributors to his cancer diagnosis. All but Whittaker, Clark & Daniels settled before the trial began in April. Whittaker, Clark & Daniels has been a major talc supplier for several companies, including Revlon, Avon and Chanel. The talc company settled a similar case recently with a California woman who said her mesothelioma was caused by contaminated talc. The undisclosed settlement came four days a...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Source Type: news