Canada 

Hospitals use drones to carry lungs for transplant


Issued on: 22/10/2021 - 

This handout photo released by Unither Bioelectronique and taken in September 2021 shows Unither Bioelectronique's drone transporting a pair of donor lungs, high above Toronto traffic at night

 Jason van Bruggen Unither Bioelectronique/AFP

Bromont (Canada) (AFP)

On its maiden flight, with a bird's-eye view of the city's glistening skyline as it glides over apartments, shops and office towers, the drone is carrying a precious cargo -- human lungs for transplant.

The 15.5-kilogram (34-pound) carbon fibre unmanned electric drone purpose-built by Quebec-based Unither Bioelectronics flew just 1.2 kilometers (0.75 miles) from Toronto Western Hospital on the city's west side to the roof of the downtown Toronto General Hospital.

The trip at the end of September took less than 10 minutes. It was automated but kept under the watchful eye of engineers and doctors.

The drone delivery of transplant lungs marked a global first, according to the company, but a similar flight in April 2019 delivered a kidney to a hospital in the US state of Maryland.

On the Toronto General Hospital's rooftop, the drone was met by a surgical team that whisked the package inside and successfully transplanted the lungs into a waiting patient, saving the life of the 63-year-old man who'd been diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis.

The patient, by happenstance, was an engineer himself who expressed excitement to local media about receiving organs delivered by a drone.

Two days after receiving transplant lungs delivered by drone, seen in this handout photo released by Unither Bioelectronique and taken in September 2021, the Toronto General Hospital patient was well enough to virtually attend his daughter's wedding 

Jason van Bruggen Unither Bioelectronique/AFP

Two days later, in addition to allowing him to breathe again, he was reportedly well enough to attend via videolink his daughter's wedding.
Flying drone in downtown Toronto

"We've proven a very important point, that it's possible to do this safely and (that) you could fly a drone in the middle of downtown Toronto," doctor Shaf Keshavjee, who worked with a technical team for two years on the drone project, told AFP.

The drone carried a refrigerated black container "which maintains the organ's thermal parameters" so that the organ is "viable for transplantation," explained drone engineer Mikael Cardinal of Unither Bioelectronics.

The successful flight, which required advance approvals from health and civil air navigation authorities, followed dozens of test runs as well as modifications, for example, to prevent radio frequency interference in a densely populated city.

In the event of a failure during flight, a ballistic parachute was also installed that would deploy and gently bring the drone and organs package to the ground.

Transplant organs are normally flown to airports (if between cities) and transported by car to hospitals. Using a drone between hospitals is more direct and saves time by avoiding heavy car traffic.

"Now the issue is really how do you scale this (up) to make it available to patients all over the world," said Keshavjee, a lung transplant specialist, describing lungs as among "the most fragile of all organs to preserve and transport."

This handout photo released by Unither Bioelectronique and taken in September 2021 shows a technician checking the purpose-built drone for its historic flight carrying a pair of transplant lungs from one hospital to another in Toronto

 Jason van Bruggen Unither Bioelectronique/AFP

This innovation, which fills him with pride, makes his partner in the project Cardinal believe that "the future is very positive" for this kind of technological advancement.

According to Cardinal, regulatory changes expected in the coming years will allow greater integration of drones into civil air space.

© 2021 AFP

French far-right conspiracy theorist in custody: informed source

Issued on: 22/10/2021 -

Daillet was arrested in June

 REMY GABALDA AFP/File

Paris (AFP)

Daillet, 54, and his secretary -- identified as 67-year-old Ginette M. -- were placed in custody on Tuesday "for planning attacks against the state and other violent action," including an attack on a Masonic lodge in eastern France, the source said.

Daillet is also alleged to having helped organise the abduction of an eight-year-old girl in eastern France in April at her mother's request.

He was arrested in June over the kidnapping as he returned to France on a flight from Singapore.

Mia Montemaggi was found safe with her mother in a squat in a disused factory in Switzerland, five days after she was taken from her grandmother’s home in the eastern Vosges region by three men posing as child protection officers.

An anti-terrorist judge had ordered the arrests of Daillet and others as part of an investigation into a shadowy group known as "Honneur et nation" (Honour and nation).

The 12 suspects are accused of plotting a series of attacks, including against vaccination centres, a masonic lodge, prominent people and journalists, according to sources close to the case.

The team had "a multitude of violent actions planned, targeting institutional sites, vaccination centres, 5G antennas...," one source familiar with the case had said earlier.

Another source had said the suspects had "the idea of a coup d'etat, of an overthrow of the French government".

Daillet has called for a ban on face masks which he claimed were "scientifically useless" in videos and for 5G networks to be destroyed.

Daillet's lawyer, Jean-Christophe Basson-Larbi, said on Thursday his client had "no links either with the 'Honneur et nation' grouping nor with the planned attacks" or "acts of neo-Nazi terrorism".

"No objective element points to his involvement," he said, adding that Daillet was a "political prisoner".

© 2021 AFP

I KNEW HE LOOKED FAMILIAR

Experts find UK parliament 'falling apart'

SO IS CANADA'S WE'VE BEEN FIXING IT

Issued on: 22/10/2021

Officials say the Houses of Parliament in London is 'falling apart faster than it can be fixed' and needs urgent restoration 

Tolga Akmen AFP

London (AFP)

Officials on Friday detailed thousands of issues with the landmark building, from stonework cracks and water damage to outdated electrical and mechanical systems.

"Despite a programme of maintenance works, it's falling apart faster than it can be fixed and is in urgent need of a programme of essential restoration," said the leader of the House of Lords, Natalie Evans.

The array of defects were recorded by dozens of engineers, architectural surveyors and other specialists who spent a combined 4,700 hours investigating the more than 150-year-old Palace of Westminster.

Built in the middle of the 19th century, it is home to Britain's Houses of Parliament -- the lower House of Commons for elected MPs and the unelected upper House of Lords.

Big Ben, the nickname for the Great Bell of the striking clock of the Elizabeth Tower at Westminster, has been silent while undergoing its own restoration work 

Tolga AKMEN AFP

At the north end of the royal palace, rising up above the River Thames, is Big Ben, the nickname for the Great Bell of the striking clock atop the Elizabeth Tower.

Big Ben, with its distinctive chime and "bongs", has undergone its own costly renovation in recent years.

The latest probe is seen as a key step in planned restoration and renewal works to the UNESCO World Heritage Site which have been repeatedly delayed, and are not set to be put to lawmakers for approval until 2023.

The estimated cost of a full-scale overhaul -- priced at £4.3 billion (5.1 billion euros, $5.9 billion) several years ago -- has left lawmakers reluctant to sign off on the works.

"The Houses of Parliament building is recognised the world over as a symbol of our nation but this building requires a considerable level of care to keep it working and needs an essential programme of restoration work," said the leader of the House of Commons, Jacob Rees-Mogg.

"We must be able to justify this project to taxpayers," added the MP, who is charge of government business in the chamber.

A 360-year-old blocked passageway was rediscovered during renovation work last year 

DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS AFP

"That's why it's so important to understand and map out the restoration work needed to protect the building -- so that the focus is on those essential works necessary to preserve the Palace for future generations."

'Detailed record'

The inspectors combed 2,343 rooms and spaces during the parliamentary recess this summer and while MPs were at their annual party conferences in September and October.

They unearthed problems with many of the building's historic features, including original Victorian-era stained-glass windows which were warping and sagging due to age.

They also encountered "miles of outdated and interweaving gas, electrics, water, sewage, and heating pipes" in an enormous basement.

The Palace of Westminster is thought to have the oldest still-in-use gas lighting system in the world 

ADRIAN DENNIS AFP

"Work was also done to understand the provenance of quirky candle and gas light fittings, some of which were discovered to have been turned upside down when converted to electric power over 100 years ago," the parliamentary body responsible for restoration and renewal said.

"Further investigation is ongoing but it is thought the palace may contain the oldest still-in-use gas lighting system in the world."

In addition, the team also studied and recorded several remarkable candle chandeliers that survived the great fire of 1834 which destroyed the original medieval palace built on the site.

Further detailed surveys, including "intrusive" probes into its structure, will be carried out in the coming months "to continue building the most detailed record of the palace ever created".

More than 40,000 problems with the four-floor building, constructed from limestone and boasting a floorplan the size of 16 football pitches, have been reported since 2017.

The Houses of Parliament is home to the lower House of Commons for elected MPs and the unelected upper House of Lords 

Leon Neal POOL/AFP

Officials have previously noted it is at high risk of sudden failure from major fire, flood or stone fall, with the annual cost of maintenance and ongoing projects recently doubling from £62 million in 2016 to £127 million in 2019.

© 2021 AFP

Nicaragua detains business union leaders as crackdown widens

Issued on: 21/10/2021

Nicaraguan Superior Council of Private Companies president Michael Healy (L) is one of dozens of government opponents arrested ahead of the November 7, 2021 elections STRINGER AFP

Managua (AFP)

Superior Council of Private Enterprise president Michael Healy and vice president Alvaro Vargas are being "investigated for the crime of money and asset laundering," police said in a statement.

Since early June Nicaragua's authorities have arrested a host of opposition figures, including seven aspiring presidential hopefuls, as well as journalists and business, social and political leaders.

The detainees face charges of trying to overthrow President Daniel Ortega, treason and threatening Nicaragua's sovereignty by, among other things, "applauding" sanctions and "inciting foreign interference."

Healy and Vargas are being investigated "for carrying out acts that threaten independence, sovereignty and self-determination, inciting foreign interference in internal affairs, requesting military interventions (and) planning terrorist acts with financing from foreign powers," the police said.

Healy's predecessor, Jose Aguerri, was arrested in July for conspiracy to undermine sovereignty.

Critics say the wave of arrests is designed to remove any realistic competition from standing against Ortega, 75, in the November 7 election.

Detainees have been held under a controversial law approved last December that has been widely denounced as a means of freezing out challengers and silencing opponents.

Family members of those held say the detainees are suffering isolation, daily interrogations, threats and hunger.

On Tuesday, the influential National Coalition of political and social groups called for an election boycott.

The Washington-based Organization of American States on Wednesday demanded the "immediate release" of all opposition figures in Nicaragua.

Ortega, a former left-wing guerrilla leader, has been in power since 2007 and is seeking a fourth consecutive term.

In 2014, during his second term, the National Assembly, dominated by his Sandinista National Liberation Front party, approved a constitutional amendment to remove term limits, paving the way for Ortega to remain indefinitely in power.

© 2021 AFP

Escobar's lawyered-up hippos recognized as people by US court

THEY WERE GOING TO BE STERILIZED WITHOUT THEIR CONSENT

Issued on: 21/10/2021 - 

The hippopotamuses were left to roam Pablo Escobar's estate and continued breeding, to the point they are now believed to be the largest "bloat" outside Africa 

RAUL ARBOLEDA AFP/File

Washington (AFP)

The ruling came after the nonprofit Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF) filed an application seeking to allow two experts in nonsurgical sterilization of wildlife to provide testimony supporting a Colombian lawsuit to stop a cull.

At a federal court in Ohio, magistrate Judge Karen Litkovitz last week granted the request of the plaintiffs, the "Community of Hippopotamuses Living in the Magdalena River."

The ruling was based on a US law that allows an "interested person" in foreign litigation to request US depositions to help their case.

"In granting the application...the court recognized the hippos as legal persons with respect to that statute," ALDF said in a statement.

Christopher Berry, ALDF's managing attorney, told AFP on Thursday the district court order "will help the hippos in their lawsuit not to die -- that's the immediate impact of it.

"More broadly speaking, it's the first concrete example of a US court authorizing animals to exercise a legal right in the animal's own name," he added.

The lawsuit was filed last July on behalf of the hippos by attorney Luis Domingo Gomez Maldonado in Colombia, which already recognizes legal personhood for animals.

Its aim is to stop the government from euthanizing the animals, who now number around 100, up significantly from the single male and three females Escobar initially acquired.
Exotic collection

Before he was shot dead by police in 1993, the cocaine baron purchased exotic animals to live on his ranch, including flamingos, giraffes, zebras and kangaroos.

After his death, all but the hippopotamuses were sold to zoos.

The semiaquatic ungulates were left to roam Escobar's Hacienda Napoles estate and continued breeding. They are now believed to be the largest so-called "bloat" of hippopotamuses outside of Africa.

This has had detrimental consequences for the local ecology, as well as reported attacks on local fishermen.

While the litigation is ongoing, authorities announced October 15 they had begun sterilizing the pod using the contraceptive drug GonaCon administered by dart guns, and through surgical sterilization.

The lawsuit contends it is unknown if the Colombian government will use the drug safely and whether it still intends to kill some of the animals.

It is seeking to provide the hippos with another contraceptive, called PZP (porcine zona pellucida), which has successfully been used in zoos and is recommended by Animal Balance, an international organization that focuses on sterilization of animals.

Thanks to the US court order, the testimony of Animal Balance's wildlife experts, Elizabeth Berkeley and Richard Berlinski can be used to bolster Maldonado's case.

Berry said the latest legal decision comes as other cases seeking personhood for animals make their way through US courts.

A horse named Justice is being represented by ALDF in a case of cruelty and neglect, while Happy the elephant, who resides at the Bronx Zoo, is being represented by The Nonhuman Rights Project in a habeas corpus (unlawful detention) case.

It remains to be seen how other courts will factor in the hippo decision, "but it certainly is relevant and important to the broader discussion of animal personhood and animal rights," said Berry.

The movement to grant animals legal personhood has also been gaining momentum globally.

In 2014, an Argentine court ruled Sandra the orangutan had been subject to unjust confinement at Buenos Aires Zoo. She is now settled in an ape sanctuary in Florida.

© 2021 AFP

One of the world's deadliest snakes found in shipping container sent from India

SNAKE ON A TRAIN, THEN A BOAT,THEN A TRUCK

This venomous snake was found in a British shipping container from India

Michelle Shen, USA TODAY
Thu, October 21, 2021,

South Essex Wildlife Hospital received a call from a local British stonemasonry firm about a long, spotted snake they found in a shipping container from India.

Turns out, the snake is a saw-scaled viper, one of the deadliest snakes in the world, according to South Essex Wildlife Hospital on Twitter. South Essex Wildlife Hospital is a wildlife rescue, treatment and rehabilitation charity​ in the U.K.

While most snakes are harmless to humans, the saw-scaled viper is a dramatic exception.

"It's dangerous because it's not native to us. It comes from India. They're highly venomous, and they're very, very aggressive." says Sue Schwar, founder and hospital manager of the South Essex Wildlife Hospital.

The saw-scaled viper is the smallest of the "Big Four" snakes, the four species of snake that cause the most deaths annually worldwide, according to AnimalResearch.info, a resource created by a U.K. not-for-profit organization focused on humane animal research.

"Because, they're small, they're more aggressive, they bite more people. As far as kill rates, they kill more people than other bigger snakes do," Schwar says.

If you're bitten, the venom could kill you unless you get access to an antivenom. Even with the antivenom, the toxins in its bite break down our ability to form blood clots, causing many survivors to intensely bleed and lose their limbs, according to National Geographic.

Schwar points out that it's especially dangerous to find them in Britain because most snakes from the region are harmless, so hospitals are not equipped with the antivenom needed to treat people bitten by these deadly snakes.

Snakes in grocery stores: 10-foot-long python slithers across grocery store shelves, curls up behind spices

Lucky for the British workers, the snake spent weeks on end in a chilly container, which likely subdued it since reptiles need warmth to be active, CNN reports.

South Essex Wildlife Hospital sent a reptile expert and vet to collect the specimen, and they put the snake in a locked box in a sealed room. To be extra careful, the vet taped the door shut. Several warning signs have also been placed on the door.

"We are glad not to have to deal with venomous creatures too often but feel sad for the snake that we can't give it is freedom and get it back home," said the South Essex Wildlife Hospital on Twitter.

It's not the first time the wildlife charity has found one of these snakes in Britain, Schwar says. Years ago, they found the exact same species, also in a stonemason's shipping container from India. The wildlife hospital followed a similar process of locking the snake up and securing the room. More experienced wildlife experts then came to pick up the snake and bring it to its new home.

The snakes are always kept alive, says Schwar, unless "it was injured, and we couldn't apply any veterinary care for it because it's too dangerous to handle."

Killing the snake would always be the "last resort," Schwar said.

One of world's last two northern white rhinos dropped from race to save the species


FILE PHOTO: Najin and her daughter Fatou, the last two northern white rhino females, graze near their enclosure at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Laikipia National Park

Thu, October 21, 2021

NAIROBI (Reuters) - One of the world's last two northern white rhinos, a mother and her daughter, is being retired from a breeding programme aimed at saving the species from extinction, scientists said on Thursday.

Najin, 32, is the mother of Fatu who is now the only donor left in the programme, which aims to implant artificially developed embryos into another more abundant species of rhino in Kenya.

There are no known living males and neither of the two remaining northern white rhinos can carry a calf to term.

Northern white rhinos, which are actually grey, used to roam freely in several countries in east and central Africa, but their numbers fell sharply due to widespread poaching for their horns.

A Biorescue team led by researchers from the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research in Germany has been racing against time to save the world's most endangered mammal.

"The team has reached the decision to retire the older of the two remaining females, 32-year-old Najin, as a donor of egg cells," Biorescue said in a statement, citing ethical considerations.

Najin's advanced age, and signs of illness, were also taken into account, they said.

Scientists hope to implant embryos made from the rhinos' egg cells and frozen sperm from deceased males into surrogate mothers.

"We have been very successful with Fatu... So far we have 12 pure northern white rhino embryos," David Ndeereh, the acting deputy director for research at the Wildlife Research and Training Institute, a Kenyan state agency, told Reuters.

"We are very optimistic that the project will succeed."

The team hopes to be able to deliver its first northern white rhino calf in three years and a wider population in the next two decades.

(Reporting by Duncan Miriri; Editing by Nick Macfie)

Orion: Nasa's Moon-ship is attached to SLS megarocket



Paul Rincon - Science editor, BBC News website
Thu, October 21, 2021

Nasa's next-generation spaceship has been lifted onto the rocket that will launch it to the Moon this year or in early 2022.

On Wednesday, the Orion spacecraft was attached to the powerful Space Launch System (SLS) rocket at Nasa's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

For its upcoming flight, Orion will fly around the Moon without astronauts.

But it will eventually carry people as part of a US plan to return people to the lunar surface this decade.

This programme is called Artemis - after the sister of Apollo - and could help establish a long-term human presence on Earth's only natural satellite.

Artemis: To the Moon and Beyond

A crane lifted Orion and then lowered it onto the top of the SLS inside the cuboid Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at Kennedy.

Teams then began work to fully secure the spacecraft to its launcher.

On Monday, Orion was transferred to the VAB from another facility where it was being housed, ahead of the operation. It was the last significant piece of hardware waiting to be added to the launch system ahead of the planned test flight.

In coming weeks, engineers will also carry out tests on the assembled vehicle, including a rehearsal where the SLS rocket is loaded up with liquid fuel while a launch countdown is simulated.

The SLS will launch the Orion spacecraft as part of the uncrewed Artemis-1 mission. This three-week flight will test the SLS and Orion before astronauts are allowed aboard for Artemis-2, which will also loop around the Moon in late 2023.

Artemis-3 will see astronauts land on the lunar surface for the first time since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972. Nasa has selected Elon Musk's Starship as the vehicle that will carry humans down from lunar orbit to the surface.

Orion will dock with Starship in lunar orbit. Astronauts will then float through a hatch from Orion to Starship to begin preparations to travel down to the lunar surface.

The landing mission is currently scheduled for 2024, though many observers expect that date to slip.

The metal structure for the Orion spacecraft that will be used for that mission also arrived at Kennedy Space Center this month.

This flight will carry the first woman to walk on the surface, along with the next man. The Artemis programme will also see the first person of colour travel to the Moon.

Meet the Air One, the New Two-Person eVTOL You Can Park in Your Garage


Bryan Hood
Tue, October 19, 2021, 


Not every eVTOL maker is focused on building the first viable air taxi. There are some that just want to help you have some fun.

Air, an aviation start-up based out of Israel, has just unveiled a two-person electric aircraft called the One designed for personal recreation. And, unlike other personal planes, you won’t need to rent out hangar space, as it has collapsible wings.

The One is meant to be a “buy ‘n’ fly” aircraft meant for personal everyday use, according to New Atlas. It features a fixed-wing design and is propelled by eight rotors on two sets of pods positioned at the front and rear of the craft. Its cabin opens like a clamshell and will have room for two people, both of whom will have access to the eVTOL’s controls. There’s also a glass bottom so you can see what you’re flying over. Maybe even more impressively, when the aircraft’s fold-up wings are raised, it will take up only one of the spots in a two-car suburban garage, according to the company.

Air One eVTOL - Credit: Air

It also sounds like something you’ll be able to have some fun with. Air says the craft will be able to cruise at speeds up to 155 mph and has a flying range of 110 miles. The company also says the One will be equipped with a “fly by intent” control system that will make piloting easy and accessible, though you’ll still need a license to take the controls. There will also be an AI monitoring system which will perform “frequent inspections” of the One to make sure its safe to fly.

As exciting as this all sounds, there are still a few hoops for Air to jump through before it can put its aircraft into production. Chief among these is certification, but the startup is currently working with the FAA to get that box checked. Regardless, you can still pre-order a One of your own now through the company’s website. One thing to note: pricing has yet to be announced.

Inside the Air One - Credit: Air

Air isn’t the only company with an eye on the personal eVTOL. This summer, iFly debuted a one-person aircraft that will fly you to your chosen destination at the push of a button. Meanwhile, Tetra, an aviation company out of Japan, is working on the Mk-5, a one-person electric plane you’ll be able to build yourself.

J&J Offered Talc Victims $4 Billion to Settle Claims Months Before Unit’s Bankruptcy

Jef Feeley
Thu, October 21, 2021, 

In this article:

(Bloomberg) -- Months before putting one of its units into bankruptcy, Johnson & Johnson offered $4 billion to settle with victims of its talc-based powder -- twice the amount it’s now proposing to pay through a forced resolution, according to people familiar with the matter.

The $4 billion offer was aimed at ending more than seven years of litigation over claims its iconic baby powder caused different types of cancers. J&J faces nearly 40,000 suits targeting its talc-based products, and has agreed to about $3.5 billion in settlements so far, according to court filings.

The world’s largest maker of health-care products wanted to split the $4 billion between trusts established to settle current and future suits, said the people, who asked not to be identified because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly. The trusts would have been created as part of the 2019 bankruptcy case filed by Imerys Talc America Inc., J&J’s talc miner, the people said. Representatives for J&J and Imerys declined to comment.

Lawyers representing a substantial number of talc plaintiffs rejected the $4 billion settlement offer as part of the Imerys case as too low, the people said. Plaintiffs would have each received about $40,000 for their cases on average, the people added.J&J last made the proposal in March. After it was rebuffed, the company’s attorneys told their counterparts to prepare for a bankruptcy filing by a J&J unit later in the year, the people said.

Bankruptcy Filing

On Oct. 14, a newly created J&J subsidiary filed for bankruptcy protection after arguing it was struggling to contain more than 38,000 suits blaming its iconic baby powder and other talc-based products of causing cancer. It’s planning to put $2 billion into a trust as part of the unit’s bankruptcy to resolve all of its talc liability.

J&J Baby Powder Bankruptcy Brings 50 Angry Lawyers to CharlotteIn a hearing this week in Charlotte, North Carolina, J&J lawyer Greg Gordon told U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Craig Whitley that the $2 billion is the company’s opening bid in a new effort to settle the talc litigation. Gordon said the $2 billion is not intended to “set a ceiling” for any talc accord.J&J officials argue they had no choice but to turn to the bankruptcy process to corral the litigation, warning it could take decades to resolve all the cases. The company has said it’s already paid $1 billion in talc-related legal fees over the last five years. Last year, it pulled the talc version of its baby powder off the U.S. and Canadian markets.The New Brunswick, New Jersey-based company proposed using the Imerys case for the deal because it’s currently battling with the talc miner over its claims that indemnity agreements put the baby-powder maker on the hook for Imerys’ talc exposure. J&J offered to take over Imerys’ talc defenses and negotiated settlements of suits against both companies, according to court filings.

Trust Fund

J&J wants to use federal laws allowing companies to file for bankruptcy to deal with litigation that poses a threat. Once in Chapter 11, companies can set up trusts to pay current and future claims and plaintiffs’ are required to participate in the process.Such trusts were made popular during decades-long litigation over asbestos, a cancer-causing material used as insulation in construction and car brake pads. Some talc plaintiffs contend J&J’s baby powder was tainted with asbestos, which can cause a variety of cancers. Others say talc -- by itself -- can cause ovarian cancer.Elizabeth Burch, a University of Georgia law professor who follows talc litigation, said $4 billion wouldn’t provide proper payouts for women fighting an often-fatal disease such as ovarian cancer.

“That wouldn’t even cover most people’s economic damages,” such as health costs and lost wages, she said.J&J’s decision to turn to bankruptcy is also questionable, Burch added.

“J&J is trying to cram down a settlement that will give these folks pennies-on-the-dollar for their damages,” she added.

The case is LTL Management LLC, 21-30589, U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of North Carolina (Charlotte).