Carefree panty liner users have filed a mass lawsuit claiming the Essity-owned brand exposed them to a cancer-causing “forever chemical.”
The suit, filed in LA County Superior Court, names hundreds of women who say they wore Carefree liners for years and developed serious illnesses including breast, ovarian and kidney cancer, thyroid disease, chronic inflammation, immune disorders and reduced fertility. The plaintiffs allege the products contained PFOA, a synthetic chemical in the PFAS family that persists in the environment and human body for years.
Research has linked PFOA exposure to increased risk of kidney and testicular cancer plus other major health problems, according to the filing. The women claim they left the liners in “sustained contact” with “vulvar and perineal tissue” for stretches of 10 hours or more, sometimes hundreds or thousands of times over years of regular use.
“The tissue is vascular, and permeable, and what it absorbs enters the bloodstream directly,” the suit states.
Each plaintiff, the papers say, “suffered physical, mental, and emotional pain and suffering, anxiety over her diagnosis and treatment, and loss of enjoyment of life.” The alleged injuries span more than half a dozen categories: cancer, thyroid disease, infection, immune and inflammatory diseases, high cholesterol, and fertility problems. Some women now live in fear of developing cancer because of their past use, according to the complaint.
The lawsuit traces the brand’s ownership from Johnson & Johnson to current parent company Essity. It accuses both manufacturers of deliberately concealing the contamination despite having access to inexpensive testing that could have detected PFOA and the technical ability to make PFAS-free alternatives.
“It appeared on no label, ingredient list or package, and in no advertisement or communication to consumers,” the papers say.
The manufacturers allegedly learned PFOA had been found in Carefree liners on Feb. 6, 2024, yet continued selling them. The suit claims they kept distributing in California even after January 1, when state restrictions on intentionally added PFAS in certain textiles took effect.
“They kept selling in California after January 1, in the face of a statutory ban,” the lawsuit alleges.
Upscale Los Angeles grocery chain Gelson’s is also named as a defendant for allegedly stocking and selling the products. The hundreds of women are seeking punitive damages at trial in an amount “sufficient to punish the manufacturer defendants,” according to the complaint.
None of the companies named disclosed the alleged presence of PFOA in the panty liners, the filing states. Johnson & Johnson, Essity and Gelson’s were contacted for comment.