The judges of the New York Court of Appeals on Tuesday dived into the question of how to quantify exposure to asbestos through the use of talc products as they weighed whether to overturn the lower courts’ judgment in favor of a woman who died of peritoneal mesothelioma after prolonged use of talcum powder.

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett partner Bryce Friedman, who represents the appellant minerals distributors, argued that there was no evidence of how much powder the plaintiff actually inhaled while she applied it to her body in her bathroom.