{"id":547843,"date":"2025-11-04T06:10:20","date_gmt":"2025-11-04T06:10:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/547843\/"},"modified":"2025-11-04T06:10:20","modified_gmt":"2025-11-04T06:10:20","slug":"she-used-it-to-freshen-up-it-killed-her-my-wife-died-of-cancer-at-63-she-never-smoked-or-drank-this-is-the-everyday-item-that-caused-her-illness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/547843\/","title":{"rendered":"‘She used it to freshen up… it killed her’: My wife died of cancer at 63. She never smoked or drank. This is the everyday item that caused her illness"},"content":{"rendered":"

There are many things that haunt Mark Fairweather when he thinks of his late wife, Eva. But especially heartbreaking is what she said to him in the last days of her life.<\/p>\n

Taking his hand, she told her devoted husband of over 40 years, and the father of their two children: \u2018I just wanted to get old with you.\u2019<\/p>\n

A retired railway signalman from Eastbourne, East Sussex, Mark, 67, had every expectation that this is what would have happened.<\/p>\n

Instead, following Eva\u2019s diagnosis in 2019 with stage 4B ovarian cancer<\/a> \u2013 the most advanced form of the disease \u2013 their future changed in an instant.<\/p>\n

\u2018We wanted to travel, enjoy life, maybe move to Spain<\/a>,\u2019 says Mark, his voice cracking. \u2018I just wanted to be with Eva, to have fun, to spend time doing things we liked to do \u2013 together.\u2019<\/p>\n

Two years on, his grief is profound, but what has compounded Mark\u2019s loss is his firm belief that Eva would be here today had she not used talcum powder made by Johnson & Johnson<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Mark has now joined a major legal claim brought against the company, involving more than 3,000 people in the UK who allege that they or family members developed ovarian cancer or mesothelioma (a type of cancer) as a result of using Johnson\u2019s Baby Powder between 1965 and 2023.<\/p>\n

Filed at the High Court two weeks ago by KP Law, the lawsuit claims the talcum powder\u2019s main ingredient, hydrated magnesium silicate, was contaminated with asbestos, a known carcinogen, and that the company concealed the risk for decades. The case mirrors US lawsuits, where juries have awarded billions in compensation.<\/p>\n

Johnson & Johnson withdrew mineral talc from the UK market in 2023, three years after it was removed in the US and Canada \u2013 and replaced it with corn starch: the company said this was because demand had fallen in the wake of \u2018misinformation\u2019 about the product\u2019s safety.<\/p>\n

\u2018My wife was 63 when she died,\u2019 says Mark. \u2018She did everything she could to live a healthy life.<\/p>\n

\u2018She never smoked or drank, she exercised, was a healthy weight \u2013 and was always careful about what she ate and looking after herself.<\/p>\n

\"Mark <\/p>\n

Mark Fairweather with wife Eva, who died in 2023 after being diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2019<\/p>\n

Yet Eva had no idea that a so-called harmless product that she used routinely to freshen up could kill her,\u2019 he adds.<\/p>\n

\u2018I didn\u2019t discover this connection until after she died \u2013 and it\u2019s hard to put into words the anguish and rage I feel. If only we\u2019d known or she hadn\u2019t used the talc, she\u2019d still be here.\u2019<\/p>\n

Tragically, Mark recalls being uneasy about Eva\u2019s liberal use of the talcum powder from the earliest days of their relationship.<\/p>\n

He recalls: \u2018I was in the Armed Forces in Northern Ireland and happened to be home from leave when I met Eva. I fell madly in love with her on the spot \u2013 she was so bubbly and pretty.\u2019<\/p>\n

They married within a few months in 1984.<\/p>\n

\u2018I remember from the start how much she used this talc \u2013 every day, say, after a shower or a bath. As she used so much each time there\u2019d be white dust everywhere, and it would drive me mad.<\/p>\n

\u2018But I also used to think, \u201cthis is a fine grain powder, it makes you want to choke when you breathe it in. How can it be good for you to use it so intimately?\u201d I should have said something then.\u2019<\/p>\n

This concern is central to the group action case.<\/p>\n

\u2018Mineral talcum powder sold in the UK for decades has contained asbestos, which when ingested can cause cancer,\u2019 explains Tom Longstaff, a partner and head of product liability at KP Law.<\/p>\n

\u2018It is part of this claim that Johnson & Johnson knew about these risks but did not disclose them to consumers for commercial reasons.\u2019<\/p>\n

A court date is yet to be set. In response to the legal action, Johnson & Johnson\u2019s co-defendant company, Kenvue (its consumer health arm) said the Baby Powder \u2018was compliant with any required regulatory standards, did not contain asbestos, and does not cause cancer\u2019.<\/p>\n

The first sign of a problem was in August 2019, when Eva, who worked in data analysis, began experiencing chronic indigestion and stomach cramps.<\/p>\n

\"Mark <\/p>\n

Mark has joined a major legal claim brought against Johnson & Johnson, involving more than 3,000 people in the UK who allege that they or family members developed ovarian cancer or mesothelioma as a result of using Johnson\u2019s Baby Powder between 1965 and 2023\u00a0<\/p>\n

Despite taking over-the-counter antacids, and Buscopan for stomach cramps, nothing helped. Giving up wheat in the belief she might be gluten intolerant also didn\u2019t help.<\/p>\n

By December that year, Eva, normally reluctant to see a doctor, made an appointment: Mark instinctively decided to go with her. The GP examined her stomach and said it felt hard and resistant to pressure, and told the couple that Eva would need further tests.<\/p>\n

\u2018We had no idea what it could be and didn\u2019t think it could be cancer,\u2019 recalls Mark.<\/p>\n

\u2018But within a few days, while we waited for the referral, the pain got dramatically worse. Eva couldn\u2019t bend down or barely move \u2013 we both started to panic.\u2019<\/p>\n

Her appointment came through just a week after she\u2019d been to see the GP. After scans and blood tests, the consultant \u2013 \u2018a genial Australian chap\u2019 \u2013 delivered the devastating diagnosis.<\/p>\n

\u2018I remember him asking if we wanted the worst-case scenario \u2013 which we did \u2013 so he didn\u2019t pull any punches,\u2019 says Mark.<\/p>\n

\u2018He said, \u201cI\u2019m afraid, Eva, this is going to bite you on the bum\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u2018Some might have found that blunt, but it actually helped us process it. He was honest.<\/p>\n

\u2018Of course, when you hear that, your mind goes into freefall. Part of you is completely shocked. And then, slowly, the system takes over and carries you along.\u2019<\/p>\n

In February 2020, following her diagnosis, Eva had surgery to remove her ovaries, womb, cervix and fallopian tubes as the cancer had spread: she then underwent six months of chemotherapy.<\/p>\n

\u2018It was awful for her,\u2019 says Mark. \u2018She felt sick, her hair fell out \u2013 it made Eva laugh when the doctor said it\u2019d grow back thicker, but it came back the same (she always hated her hair!).<\/p>\n

\u2018But we tried to make the best of it. We\u2019d sit on the garden decking in the summer sun and hope the chemo would finish the job.\u2019<\/p>\n

After completing chemotherapy Eva went back to work and the couple even managed a dream holiday to Egypt in spring 2022.<\/p>\n

But then, shortly afterwards, blood tests showed Eva\u2019s levels of CA125 \u2013 a protein linked to ovarian cancer \u2013 were rising.<\/p>\n

More chemotherapy followed, but Eva\u2019s health declined rapidly. She died in August 2023.<\/p>\n

The grief for Mark and their daughters, Katie, 42, and Clare, 35, was overwhelming.<\/p>\n

\"\u2018This <\/p>\n

\u2018This legal action won\u2019t bring Eva back, but this company needs to be held to account,\u2019 says Mark<\/p>\n

And when, a short time later, Mark read that talc could be linked to ovarian cancer, and that potential claimants should come forward, he didn\u2019t hesitate.<\/p>\n

One of the claimants\u2019 allegations is that Johnson & Johnson \u2018suppressed information that might indicate that baby powder was contaminated with asbestos\u2019. In the court documents they also claim the company \u2018lobbied regulators\u2019 to enable the continued sale of its product.<\/p>\n

But how might talc be linked to ovarian cancer? One potential trigger is chronic inflammation or DNA damage, which could initiate cell changes, explains Justin Stebbing, an oncologist and a professor of biomedical sciences at Anglia Ruskin University.<\/p>\n

He says he\u2019s convinced there is a link, pointing to a major study, published last year in the Journal of Clinical Oncology involving 50,884 women. It found a positive correlation between ovarian cancer and genital talc use.<\/p>\n

\u2018To me that study was the most compelling evidence,\u2019 says Professor Stebbing. \u2018It\u2019s very clear that there is a specific risk and the mechanism is clear.\u2019<\/p>\n

However, Paul Pharoah, a former professor of cancer epidemiology at Cambridge University and now a research scientist at Cedars Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, told Good Health that while there is a connection, the cause has not been proven.<\/p>\n

\u2018There\u2019s clear evidence that women who used talc in the genital region have a higher risk of epithelial ovarian cancer [cancer in the outer layer of tissue].<\/p>\n

\u2018But correlation is not causation,\u2019 he added, saying other factors may be involved.<\/p>\n

But Mark is in no doubt that the talc caused his wife\u2019s cancer.<\/p>\n

\u2018This legal action won\u2019t bring Eva back, but this company needs to be held to account,\u2019 he says. \u2018It had no business allowing people like my wife to innocently and frequently use talc \u2013 and, this is what\u2019s so awful, in the belief it was something mild and harmless. She shouldn\u2019t have died.\u2019<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"There are many things that haunt Mark Fairweather when he thinks of his late wife, Eva. But especially…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":547844,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[92,105,4835,104,53,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-547843","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-technology","8":"tag-dailymail","9":"tag-health","10":"tag-johnson-johnson","11":"tag-spain","12":"tag-technology","13":"tag-uk","14":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115489947036875535","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/547843","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=547843"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/547843\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/547844"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=547843"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=547843"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=547843"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}