Cleveland Plain Dealer – Lawsuits Claim Two Denture Creams Are Making People Ill
The Plain Dealer reports:
Hundreds of people across the United States have developed serious health problems that researchers have tied to zinc in denture adhesives. It’s important to note that the problems surfaced after what has been called long-term, excessive use — two or more tubes a week for years.
But this isn’t just Grandpa’s problem.
Those who’ve gotten sick have been as young as 26. Many are in their 40s and 50s. Their arms have gone numb, they’ve become incontinent, their legs have weakened so badly they need walkers and wheelchairs to get around.
“These are people who are very seriously hurt,” says Ed Blizzard, a Houston attorney suing two major denture-cream makers on behalf of people who’ve gotten sick. “A number of them can’t work anymore. They need help around the house. It’s dramatically affecting their lives.”
The most severe example he’s seen, he says, involved a 63-year-old man who used large amounts of denture cream for 14 years. He went from a cane to a walker to a wheelchair in three months’ time. He went on to lose all feeling below his waist and control of his bowels before he died in 2008.
Blizzard, a founding partner of Blizzard, McCarthy & Nabers, has filed five lawsuits against denture-cream makers and plans to file at least 20 more. He’s reviewing more than 100 additional cases to see if legal action is warranted.
Tags: denture adhesive, denture cream, Ed Blizzard, Fixodent, GlaxoSmithKline, Poligrip, Proctor & Gamble, zinc poisoning
