Hair Straightening Chemicals and Cancer Risk
Scientists have found that there is a link between hair straightening products and cancer. Research is pointing to hair straightening chemicals increasing the risk of hormone related cancers like breast and ovarian cancer, mainly in women. Another study also found there is a risk of the chemicals causing uterine cancer. The cancer risk is higher in black women because of their higher use of the products. Women who used the chemicals were compared with non-users and it was found that among the women who used the products in the last 12 months, 4 percent developed uterine cancer while 1.6 percent of people who didn’t use the products developed uterine cancer. Researchers found that women with frequent use, defined by more than four times per year, had their risk doubled.
Data was collected from 34,000 women between the ages of 35 to 74 from the United States. They answered questions about the different products they used including perms, dyes, relaxers, and straighteners. Cancer rates were also tracked within the group by the researchers. There was a strong connection between hair straightening products and uterine cancer, while the other products including dyes, perms, and body waves did not have any association with uterine cancer. Data also pointed to black women having the largest amount of uterine cancer cases from straightening products. Around 7.4 percent of the participants were black women, and 59.9 percent of the participants who used straighteners were black women. They are the main users of the products due to societal factors and pressures.
Hair products marketed to black women and children have hormone blocking chemicals, and multiple products for black women have very harsh chemicals. Multiple products are also used together, creating large levels of different chemicals in people’s bodies. No information was collected about specific brands, but chemicals found in multiple types of straighteners have the possibility of causing uterine cancer. More research needs to occur to determine the link between straightening chemicals and uterine cancer on different populations as well as to determine what specific chemicals are causing cancer in women.
Most chemicals in hair straightening products are hormone disruptors. When they enter the body, they change the natural hormonal processes in people. This makes it crucial for researchers to look for a link between these products and hormone related cancers. The chemicals could also be problematic because there is potential for them to affect other areas of the body like the immune and vascular systems. If researchers look at how these chemicals interact with the body, they can determine if the chemicals are causing cancer by affecting the immune system, vascular system, or hormonal system. More research needs to be done to help determine the direct association between these chemicals and specific cancers. If researchers do this, women will be much safer and healthier if they choose to use these types of products.
If you used hair straightening chemicals and have cancer, contact us today to see if you could be entitled to compensation. Call 412-471-3980 or fill out our contact form to speak to a member of our team. We will do whatever we can to help you get the compensation you deserve.
