Fixodent and Zinc Poisoning Lawsuits

Miami, FLA number of lawsuits pertaining to Fixodent denture cream due to the alleged effects of zinc toxicity and Fixodent zinc poisoning have--as expected--been consolidated after so many Fixodent denture cream customers complained of problems, or had been taken ill.

According to a June 15th update from NEWSInferno.com Proctor & Gamble (P&G), the manufacturer of Fixodent, has been named in two lawsuits. The manufacturer of another denture cream has been named in 10. However, it appears as if there will be many more lawsuits coming out of the woodwork, prompting the transfer order earlier this month.

The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPMDL) has been consolidating similar lawsuits that involve high numbers of plaintiffs since 1968. According to NEWSInferno.com one law firm was in the process of evaluating about 3000 alleged zinc poisoning cases pertaining to the use of denture cream. A collection of three law firms has about 75 new lawsuits ready to slip into the pipeline, a fact likely not lost on the JPMDL.

On May 28th the Judicial Panel held hearings in Louisville, Kentucky with regard to the potential consolidation of lawsuits against P&G and GlaxoSmithKline, the manufacturer of Poligrip, into a single jurisdiction.

The resulting transfer order will see all Poligrip and Fixodent lawsuits currently pending in federal court, together with new cases, flow to District Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga in the Southern District of Florida.

Fixodent, as well as other denture creams that contain zinc have been linked to neurological disorders that have recently been outlined in a study published last year in Neurology, a medical journal. The 2008 study determined that four neuropathy patients who had used what were described in NEWSInferno.com as excessive amounts of denture cream were found to have extremely elevated levels of zinc in their blood.

Researchers at the University of Texas—where the study originated—noted that the use of denture cream was the only thing the four patients had in common beyond their neuropathy disorders. Thus, the study authors concluded that the use of denture cream remained the only "plausible explanation" for the patient's high zinc levels, together with their copper deficiencies.

Symptoms range from a numbness or tingling in the feet, legs, hands or arms, to a tendency to lose one's balance. Some have noted a reduction in strength, or the ability to move legs and feet, or arms and hands. Blood pressure and heart rate can be affected and even sexual dysfunction has occurred. Some patients have been made to suffer through constipation or bladder dysfunction and even a reduced capacity to perspire. This latter symptom could have a serious impact on the body's ability to cool itself in hot weather, or while engaged in strenuous activity such as a workout.

Seniors—the sector most likely to have dentures and use denture cream—are much more active than their predecessors.

Other symptoms include unexplained pain in the extremities, a tendency to stumble or fall down, instability and lack of balance and a change or decrease in walking stride.

For anyone with false teeth Fixodent denture adhesive is a hedge against the embarrassing slippage of one's teeth—especially in a public, or social setting. It is not known if the manufacturer of Fixodent denture cream publishes recommendations for safe levels on the product packaging. However, it is basic human nature to err on the side of caution and, when using a product that may speak to a person's vanity, use a bit extra to make sure the job is done. That person may not realize that he is setting himself up for alleged Fixodent zinc poisoning.