Denture cream class action lawsuits have been filed against the makers of Poligrip and Fixodent in Canada, alleging that the popular denture adhesives cause neurological damage from zinc poisoning.
The Poligrip and Fixodent class action lawsuits were filed were filed Monday in Saskatchewan and British Columbia. The lawsuits seek to cover all Canadians who may have experienced zinc poisoning from the use of GlaxoSmithKline’s Super Poligrip and Proctor & Gamble’s Fixodent.
In the United States, a few hundred Super Poligrip lawsuits and Fixodent lawsuits have been filed on behalf of individuals who suffered severe neurological injuries as a result of high amounts of zinc entering their body from the popular over-the-counter products. The complaints allege that the manufacturers failed to inform consumers that the denture cream products contain zinc and failed to warn about the risk or problems that can be caused when too much of the denture adhesive is used.
All U.S. federal lawsuits over Super Poligrip and Fixodent have been consolidated as part of an MDL, or multidistrict litigation, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, where the cases are managed in a manner similar to a class action during pretrial litigation, but the cases remain individual lawsuits. A number of state court cases filed in Pennsylvania have also been consolidated into a Mass Tort Program (MTP) in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas.
Zinc contained in the denture creams can result in the depletion of copper levels, causing a condition known as hypocupremia, which is known to increase the risk of significant neurological problems that can leave users with permanent and debilitating physical injuries including numbness, problems with balance and unexplainable pain and burning sensations. Although the recommended daily allowance of zinc is 11 mg for men and 8 mg for women, with 40 mg being the maximum amount of zinc that can be safely tolerated, some denture creams have been found to expose users to levels as high as 330 mg per day.
Zinc is believed to help with the adhesive properties of the denture creams. However, until recently neither GlaxoSmithKline or Proctor and Gamble had alerted users that zinc was an ingredient in their products.
The Canadian lawsuit accuses the companies of waiting for years before telling consumers that their products contained zinc, and of downplaying the side effects of denture cream containing zinc in the warnings which they have released.
