A recent mesothelioma lawsuit has handed down a verdict assigning Colgate Palmolive 95 per cent liability for the manufacturing of its talcum powder, having high implications for the end consumer.

Due to the liability bestowed on Colgate Palmolive, the company will have to soak up the largest share of the $13 million asbestos jury verdict. Talcum powder is said to be a lesser known cause of asbestosis and mesothelioma that hasn’t gained much awareness amongst consumers, however more and more lawsuits are said to be coming to the fore.

Past generations were more aligned with talcum powder as a personal hygiene product, with the once-popular item now said to have been manufactured with traces of asbestos. Indeed plaintiff Judith Winkell filed her claim in January last year, stating she was a regular user of the Colgate Palmolive-owned Cashmere Bouquet talcum powder.

Winkell has since been diagnosed with asbestosis mesothelioma a fatal lung disease that can take decades to emerge after exposure to asbestos, but can claim lives within two years of diagnosis. Winkell has alleged that Colgate Palmolive would have, or should have known about the dangers of asbestos since the 1930s.