Table Of Content
- FDA May Ban Hair Straighteners With Formaldehyde Over Cancer Concerns
- Dryness
- They were diagnosed with uterine cancer and tumors. Now they're suing the makers of chemical hair straighteners.
- Uterine Cancer and its Impact on Black Women
- Victim blaming and beauty standards
- Get The Latest Health Matters News
- People who use hair straightening chemicals have an increased risk of cancer
Stricter regulations of ingredients in cosmetic products and using alternative methods like heat straightening may help reduce exposure to harmful chemicals, Bertrand said. If you breathe in formaldehyde, it can aggravate asthma and cause coughing and wheezing, said Tracey Woodruff, a professor at the University of California, San Francisco who researches the health impact of harmful chemicals. With more Black women having serious conversations about connections between haircare products and health conditions, Rooks can find “no murmurs of, no hints” of concern by the government or among companies about the safety of these formulations. Many had learned to “distrust and dislike” their natural hair from parents and grandparents, probably responding to generations of external pressure to conform. This study was central to a recent Reuters investigation on the effects of hair relaxer products on Black women.
FDA May Ban Hair Straighteners With Formaldehyde Over Cancer Concerns
"Hair products, such as dye and chemical straighteners, contain a number of different chemicals that may act as carcinogens or endocrine disruptors [molecules that mimic or mess with hormonal function] — and thus may be important for cancer risk," says Dr. White. The latest research on the effects of hair relaxers was published Oct. 10 by Boston University. According to the Black Women’s Health Study, or BWHS, postmenopausal Black women who have used chemical hair relaxers more than twice a year or for more than five years have an increased risk of developing uterine cancer.
Dryness
Recently, a large cohort study found that women who had used any straightening products in the previous 12 months had 1.8 times the risk of developing uterine cancer as those who had never used such a product (24). Several studies have found associations between the use of hair straighteners or relaxers and the subsequent development of breast cancer. Epidemiologic studies that follow groups of people over time (cohort studies) or that study people with and without specific cancers (case–control studies) have examined possible associations between personal use of hair dyes and risks of several cancers. Based on a review of existing evidence, the IARC Working Group considers personal use of hair dyes overall as “not classifiable as to its carcinogenicity to humans” (6). It has been estimated that between 50% and 80% of women in the United States, Japan, and the European Union have used hair dyes (6).
They were diagnosed with uterine cancer and tumors. Now they're suing the makers of chemical hair straighteners.
Diandra Debrosse Zimmermann of DiCello Levitt, who filed the first case after the study was published, urged the judicial panel on multidistrict litigation at a hearing last month to send the cases to Rowland. The cases name the US subsidiary of L’Oréal SA and subsidiaries of India-based companies Godrej SON Holdings Inc and Dabur International Ltd. Representatives for the companies, which opposed centralization of the cases, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Gresham says she is incensed it is taking so long to make a federal law out of the Crown Act, which would make discrimination based on a person’s texture or style of hair illegal. The bill was co-sponsored by the Democratic representatives Ilhan Omar and Pressley, two Black women, and passed the House but stalled in the Senate. The Democratic New Jersey senator Cory Booker is expected to reintroduce the bill in the next Congress.
Chemical Hair Straighteners and Cancer Risks for Women - Consumernotice.org
Chemical Hair Straighteners and Cancer Risks for Women.
Posted: Mon, 18 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]
Why is there concern that hair dyes may cause cancer?
If that happens, your doctor may order an endometrial biopsy or a transvaginal ultrasound to scope things out. But ultimately, it's up to you to keep an eye out and visit your ob-gyn if you notice any irregular (for you!) bleeding. There are no proven screening mechanisms to detect uterine cancer in the general population, as there are with other diseases like breast cancer, Bertrand said. “For generations, systemic racism and anti-Black hair sentiment have forced Black women to navigate the extreme politicization of hair,” she said in a statement to NBC News on Wednesday. “We’ve seen this play out in schools and in the workplace, where Black folks have been criminalized, punished, or overlooked in personnel decisions just for how our hair grows out of our head.
Uterine Cancer and its Impact on Black Women
Given the widespread use of hair dye products, if these products had even a small effect on cancer risk that could translate into a considerable public health impact. The study data includes 33,497 U.S. women ages participating in the Sister Study, a study led by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), part of NIH, that seeks to identify risk factors for breast cancer and other health conditions. The women were followed for almost 11 years and during that time 378 uterine cancer cases were diagnosed. “This study is the first to show a possible link between frequent use of hair straightening products and uterine cancer,” she said. All of the women said that they were unaware that the use of chemical hair straighteners had put them at an increased risk of cancer until the release of the NIH study. “More research is needed to confirm these findings in different populations, to determine if hair products contribute to health disparities in uterine cancer, and to identify the specific chemicals that may be increasing the risk of cancers in women,” said White.
Victim blaming and beauty standards
Civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump, who is also representing Mitchell and Gordon, said the lawsuits are about bringing awareness and getting these products off of store shelves. Terrell, 55, of Guin, Alabama, said she began relaxing her hair at age 8 and stopped in her late 30s or early 40s. She has uterine carcinosarcoma and underwent six rounds of chemotherapy and was in remission for a little over two years before the cancer returned in July on her liver and abdomen, according to an interview and her lawsuit. According to the lawsuits, three of the women have had a hysterectomy — one of them at age 28.
Get The Latest Health Matters News
In the 60s, young people embraced Black pride and began wearing naturals, “which was all kinds of horrifying for people”, Rooks says, referring to a lack of acceptance of short afros both from segments of the older Black generation and from various races in professional settings. She says her tresses are healthy and more manageable, and refuses to give relaxers up. The women are seeking compensatory damages, as well as payment for medical bills, attorneys fees and other expenses.
People who use hair straightening chemicals have an increased risk of cancer
People can be exposed to them by absorption through the skin or inhaling them in the air. The damage chemical hair relaxers can have on Black women is coming under intense scrutiny. The best way to prevent bad relaxer damage (and potential hair loss) is to visit a pro specializing in kinky or curly hair who prizes your hair and scalp's health above anything else. If you experience any of the following during or soon after a relaxer treatment, you're probably suffering damage to your hair or scalp. Ahead, we asked Abra McField, Tippi Shorter, and Al Alexander, all experts in natural hair, about some of the signs to look out for to avoid damage to your hair. The findings are consistent with prior studies showing straighteners can increase the risk of hormone-related cancers in women.
Demand for products like Baum’s hair-straightening formula is likely to grow in the next two years as proposed and adopted regulations take effect. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposed a rule that, if adopted, would specifically ban formaldehyde—and chemicals that release it—from hair-straightening cosmetics starting in April 2024. And on October 8 of this year, California’s governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill updating the state’s Health and Safety Code to ban cosmetic products that contain ingredients including formaldehyde, methylene glycol and a range of parabens and phthalates. The law takes effect on January 1, 2025; additional chemicals will also be banned in 2027. Concerns have been raised about possible links between some hair products and these cancers because some of the chemicals used in hair products might be absorbed through the scalp and have estrogen-like properties in the body. Some hair products might also contain other chemicals that have been linked to cancer, such as formaldehyde.
Uterine cancer accounts for about 3% of all new cancer cases but is the most common cancer of the female reproductive system, with 65,950 estimated new cases in 2022. Studies show that incidence rates of uterine cancer have been rising in the United States, particularly among Black women. Black women have reconsidered scalp-level issues, such as relaxer burns, scabbing, and hair loss, says Rooks, who is among the featured guests on Hulu’s The Hair Tales, Tracee Ellis Ross’s recent exploration of Black women’s notions of beauty and identity. Other guests include Oprah Winfrey, Chloe Bailey and the Massachusetts congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, among others. She shakes out her long hair before leaning down to reveal wavy roots at her middle part to the camera – straightening this patch of her hair is the purpose of her TikTok video Come Get a Relaxer With Me, Pt 2. A remix of SZA plays in the background as she slicks her hair down with the white chemical concoction from one of the boxes.
Early puberty can increase the risk for metabolic syndromes such as obesity, Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease in adulthood. Because the hair shaft undergoes such a change, it's weaker than healthy natural hair would be. Because of the process, hair doesn't hold onto moisture the same way, which can lead to serious dryness. "Dry, hard, or brittle hair can indicate hair that is damaged or over-processed," Alexander says. According to Alexander, burns and sores shouldn't be considered a common response to relaxers. "It can be a sign that proper prep wasn't practiced or the processing was poorly done," he explains.
The proposed ban focuses on formaldehyde — which is found in some relaxers, blowout and keratin treatments — as well as chemicals that release formaldehyde when they’re heated . Formaldehyde is found in smoothing and straightening products disproportionately marketed to Black women, and chemicals that release it are even in some products labeled “formaldehyde-free.” According to the F.D.A., most hair smoothing or straightening products release formaldehyde. The proposed rule would ban the chemical formaldehyde in hair smoothing and straightening products, and the target date for the ban is April 2024. Here’s what to know about the short- and long-term risks of formaldehyde in chemical hair straighteners.
"If you are lucky, the burn will just be surface level, which is directly on the first layer of the epidermis (scalp), and as it heals, the hair will immediately start to grow back because the hair strand itself was only damaged at the surface of the scalp and not underneath the scalp." You might develop sores due to a reaction to the chemicals, no matter how long they're left on your head. You could be allergic, or the relaxer may be low-quality (another reason to see a stylist who has the proper products at their disposal). At the heart of this discussion is the long-standing issue of race-based hair discrimination. This discrimination against Black individuals’ natural hair texture and protective styles at school and work persists today, according to the CROWN Coalition.