Many Ohio consumers use a vast variety of beauty and hygiene products on a daily basis. Alarmingly, a recent study reveals that a number of these products may contain hazardous materials. In fact, the data reveals a possible link between hair dye and breast cancer.
Researchers from Rutgers University studied over 4,000 women between the ages of 20 and 75. After controlling for probable breast cancer risk factors such as health history, they looked specifically at hair products, including hair dyes, chemical straighteners and relaxers and various types of conditioners. Study results suggested that certain types of hair products and dyes were associated with an increased cancer risk.
The National Cancer Institute reports that some of the over 5,000 different chemicals used in hair dyes are carcinogenic. Despite this, approximately a third of women 18 years of age and older use some type of hair dye product. The recent Rutgers study results indicated that African American women have an over 50 percent increased risk of developing breast cancer associated with the use of dark brown or black hair dyes. Caucasian women who use chemical relaxers and straighteners seem to have an almost 75 percent increased risk of breast cancer.
Researchers do admit further study needs to be done to examine this possible link between the potentially hazardous materials in hair products and their role in the development of cancer. However, Ohio consumers deserve to know of the possible risks associated with these products, as few studies about the association between breast cancer and hair dye have been published. Anyone who has suffered severe negative effects due to the chemicals or toxic materials contained within household products, regardless of the type, may benefit from the legal counsel of an attorney with experience in products liability lawsuits.
Source: Fox News, “Certain hair products may increase your risk of breast cancer”, Michelle Gant, June 22, 2017
