Last week the Wall Street Journal Law Blog ran a story titled "Plaintiff's Lawyers, Here's Your New Asbestos: Denture Cream!" The article (with a touch of sarcasm), looks at the potential for the next "category of potentially huge personal injury lawsuits." Considering that denture cream is used by about a third of the 34 million Americans currently wearing dentures, the number of potential lawsuits is huge.
The problem with the denture creams is that the products contain zinc. Excessive zinc intake can be harmful.
Denture cream lawyers are arguing that the zinc in the products, such as Poligrip and Fixodent, is causing neurological damage. One of the main theories of liability is that the manufacturers have known for years that excessive zinc is harmful yet added zinc to the products anyway.
The ABC News story mentions a 2008 study published in the Journal of Neurology. It theorizes that long-term denture cream overuse was the culprit in the cases of four patients who had unexplained limb weakness and poor balance.
The problem with the denture creams is that the products contain zinc. Excessive zinc intake can be harmful.
Denture cream lawyers are arguing that the zinc in the products, such as Poligrip and Fixodent, is causing neurological damage. One of the main theories of liability is that the manufacturers have known for years that excessive zinc is harmful yet added zinc to the products anyway.
The ABC News story mentions a 2008 study published in the Journal of Neurology. It theorizes that long-term denture cream overuse was the culprit in the cases of four patients who had unexplained limb weakness and poor balance.
