Talc Now Appears in About 1 in 3 US Mesothelioma Lawsuits

Talc allegations appeared in about 35% of the US mesothelioma lawsuits filed in 2024, according to litigation data from the consultancy KCIC. Talc has moved from a side issue to a central front in asbestos litigation, and almost all of the growth sits in mesothelioma cases.

The figures come from KCIC’s Asbestos Litigation: 2024 Year in Review, which the firm builds from asbestos complaints filed across US courts and estimates captures at least 90% of all filings. The 35% mesothelioma figure is derived from KCIC’s own counts: 751 lawsuits in 2024 alleged asbestos exposure through talc, KCIC reports that 90% of those (about 676) were mesothelioma cases, and there were 1,907 mesothelioma lawsuits filed in 2024. KCIC’s talc dataset counts complaints that allege asbestos exposure through talc and does not include talc cases tied to ovarian cancer.

Talc’s Share Has More Than Doubled Since 2021

Talc allegations now appear in nearly 1 in 5 asbestos lawsuits, after a steady climb over four years. The share dipped in 2021, then rose every year through 2024.

The trend has continued into 2025. In its mid-year update, KCIC reported that 22% of asbestos filings through July 31, 2025 included a talc allegation, up another 3 points from the full-year 2024 share.

Why the Growth Sits in Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma is the disease most closely tied to asbestos, and it remains the largest single category of asbestos filings, with 1,907 lawsuits in 2024. Because KCIC reports that 90% of talc filings are mesothelioma cases, the rise in talc litigation lands almost entirely in that category. That is what pushes the talc share of mesothelioma filings to roughly 1 in 3, well above talc’s 19.1% share of all asbestos filings.

The shift reflects a wave of litigation alleging that asbestos-contaminated talc caused mesothelioma, which has produced several large jury verdicts against Johnson & Johnson and other defendants. MesoWatch tracks the broader talc picture in the talc crisis by the numbers.

Where the Cases Are Filed

Talc filings are heavily concentrated. The top 5 jurisdictions accounted for 67% of all talc cases in 2024, and Madison County, Illinois alone made up 31%. That concentration mirrors the broader pattern in asbestos litigation, where most filings cluster in a handful of courts.

The Wider Composition Shift

While talc rises, the overall volume of asbestos litigation has held roughly flat. Total asbestos filings were 3,931 in 2024, almost identical to the 3,929 filed in 2023, and down about 25% from 2015. What is changing is the mix. Lung cancer filings rose to 1,644 in 2024, about 42% of all asbestos filings, while non-malignant claims continued to decline. The litigation is not growing in size so much as shifting in what it alleges and which exposures it names.

What This Means for People Tracing Exposure

For people with mesothelioma, the data describe a litigation environment, not a medical one. A rising talc share does not change a diagnosis or a prognosis. It does show that talc has become a common thread in mesothelioma claims, and that courts in a few jurisdictions handle most of them. Filing rules, deadlines, and venues vary by state.