Recent Study Reveals Alarming Occurrence of Uterine Cancer in Consumers Who Use Hair Straightener or Relaxer Products
A study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute reveals that people who use chemicals to straighten or relax their hair have a higher risk of developing uterine cancer. Since these products are used most often by Black women to style their naturally curly or wavy hair, women of color face the greatest chance of receiving a cancer diagnosis, according to the study.
Relaxers and straighteners use a combination of chemicals to break down hair’s structure and make it more pliable and soft. People who prefer a smoother style often use these products several times each year to maintain the look. Unfortunately, these products are now linked to an increased risk of uterine cancer, especially for those who regularly use relaxers and straighteners.
If doctors diagnosed you or a loved one with uterine cancer and you used hair straightening or relaxing products in the past, you may bring a product liability lawsuit against the manufacturer of the products you used.
To learn more about your legal rights, consult a personal injury lawyer with product liability experience.
How Can I Hold Product Manufacturers Responsible for Causing Cancer?
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulates cosmetics and other products sold in our country. Manufacturers must make cosmetics safe for consumers who follow the label or customary procedures for using the product. Hair care products must meet rigorous safety standards to make them safe, effective, and not dangerous to society.
Consumers who purchase hair products have the right to expect that these treatments will not harm them or cause an increased risk of cancer. Hair straightening product manufacturers must provide safe hair products and warn about cancer-causing ingredients. If a manufacturer fails to market a safe product or warn about its potential dangers, you can hold it responsible for paying compensation for the injuries its product caused.
If a dangerous product injures you, turn to a nationally recognized and award-winning law firm that understands what you are facing. Our product liability and mass tort lawyers have advocated for many injured consumers and filed numerous product liability lawsuits against manufacturers that create and sell items that harm users.
Contact our team of product liability lawyers to discuss your right to take legal action if you developed uterine cancer after using hair straightening or relaxing products.
Recent Studies Show Uterine Cancer Connection to Hair Straightener Use
The Journal of the National Cancer Institute (JNCI) published a study analyzing the relationship between hair straightening and relaxing products and the occurrence of uterine cancer among consumers. The researchers followed 33,947 participants from The Sister Study.
The Sister Study tracked almost 51,000 women from 2003 to 2009. The participants were women ages 35 to 74 who were breast cancer-free at the start of the study but had at least one sister who was diagnosed with breast cancer. Through questionnaires and self-reporting, the study analyzed thousands of women, the products they used over several years, and the incidence of cancer among the group.
The researchers involved in the JNCI study noted:
“In the Sister Study, we have previously observed a higher breast cancer incidence associated with adolescent and adult use of hair products and a higher ovarian cancer incidence associated with adult use of straighteners.” Citations omitted.
A study by the International Journal of Cancer reported possible links between products such as hair straighteners and hair dyes and the development of breast and ovarian cancers. So, although hair products were long controversial because of their chemical makeup and the harm they can cause, no one has looked for a link to uterine cancer until now.
The JNCI study examined Sister Study data provided by roughly 33,500 women who met the qualifications for the program. These women reported using several different hair products, including hair straighteners, relaxers, hair color, permanents, body waves, and other hair modifying products.
Finding a Statistical Link Between Uterine Cancer and Chemical Hair Straighteners
Of the 33,497 participants in the JNCI study, 378 women reported a uterine cancer diagnosis. The results indicated that only 1.64 percent of women who reported they never used hair straightening products developed uterine cancer by age 70. However, 4.05 percent of women in the study who used chemical hair straighteners or relaxers developed uterine cancer by age 70.
The study also found that women who used chemical hair straighteners within the prior year had a higher risk of developing uterine cancer than those that had never used these products. In an even more frightening finding, women who reported using chemical hair straighteners four or more times in the past year suffered an even higher risk of uterine cancer.
Overall, uterine cancer is fairly rare. Although the number of women reporting a cancer diagnosis appears low, these statistics show a sizable increase in cancer risks linked to using chemical hair straighteners. Also, this study uncovers an ethnic bias against Black women because more Black women and children use hair straighteners than Caucasian women. Unfortunately, uterine cancer is more common in Black women, and Black women are more likely to die from uterine cancer than other ethnicities.
The study participants who used hair straighteners were diagnosed with uterine cancer more than twice as often as those who never used straighteners. Considering the large number of women involved in this study, these findings may link thousands of uterine cancer cases to hair product use.
Have You Used Any of the Hair Products That Can Increase Your Risk of Uterine Cancer?
The recent JNCI study did not ask participants to identify which specific brands of chemical hair straightening or relaxer products they used or the chemicals listed on the product labels. In fact, many cosmetic companies don’t list every chemical in their products on the label. This makes it difficult for consumers to avoid possibly dangerous chemicals and products that remain on the market without warnings.
The study determined that the uterine cancer risks linked to chemical hair straightener use did not apply to people who used hair color, highlights, and perms. Despite the lack of a statistical link to uterine cancer, many other hair-processing products remain under heavy scrutiny. Past studies have found a potential link between these products and other cancers, including breast and ovarian cancer.
For example, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) used data from the Sister Study to correlate 2,794 breast cancer diagnoses with chemical hair straightener use. That study found a 30 percent increase in the risk of developing breast cancer in women that straightened their hair every five to eight weeks or more often.
What Are Your Legal Rights if Chemical Hair Straightener Caused Your Uterine Cancer?
Makers of products like chemical hair straighteners owe consumers a legal duty of care. Manufacturers must provide safe products, free of unnecessary cancer risks, or at the very least, a warning about the product’s possible dangers. If a company fails to meet these standards, their customers can hold it responsible for the damages it caused.
Unfortunately, researchers don’t have a definitive answer about how hair straighteners may cause an increased risk of cancer. However, since studies have found a connection between these products and cancer patients, people diagnosed with cancer after using hair straightening products may seek compensation from manufacturers that create and sell dangerous items.
To prevail in a product liability lawsuit, you must prove a connection between the dangerous product you used and your medical condition. As you can imagine, this is not an easy task. An experienced product liability lawyer can link a dangerous consumer product to serious medical conditions and meet this legal requirement. Once you prove this connection, you may recover compensation for your losses.
Black Woman Have an Increased Risk of Uterine Cancer
Although uterine cancer is a fairly rare cancer, the National Cancer Institute recently reported that Black women are more often diagnosed with uterine cancer and more than twice as likely to die from uterine cancer than women of other races. The results of the JNCI study confirm this frightening statistic.
In the JNCI study, Black women accounted for 7.4 percent of the study’s participants, but they constituted almost 60 percent of the women that used chemical hair straighteners. Another study linked Black women who regularly colored their hair with permanent hair dye to a 60 percent increase in breast cancer diagnoses compared to only an 8 percent increase in cancer risks in Caucasian women.
Because Black women are the primary consumer demographic for chemical hair straighteners and relaxers, manufacturers target them with advertising and marketing. They also know this target market is more likely to start using their products at a younger age, so they count on consumers using these chemicals throughout their lives.
If an irresponsible manufacturer created and marketed a dangerous product that led to your injury, turn to our compassionate team of product liability lawyers for the compensation you need to help you recover.
Uterine Cancer Basics and the Damages You May Suffer
Uterine cancer falls into two types—Type 1 endometrial cancer is more common, while Type 2 uterine sarcoma is more rare. Doctors can often cure this cancer in the early stages by performing a hysterectomy or other surgery. Other treatments, such as immunotherapy and chemotherapy, may work, depending on the type and severity of the cancer.
Uterine cancer patients experience similar symptoms, procedures, and challenges as other cancer patients, including:
- Surgery that can involve risk, pain, and extended recovery.
- Chemotherapy using strong drugs to destroy cancer cells.
- Radiation involving targeted beams that burn and destroy cancer cells.
- Hormone replacement therapy, since the condition involves the reproductive system. Patients might receive hormones to replace what the body can no longer create or to block further cancer growth.
- Medicine therapy that focuses on keeping certain types of cancer cells from growing.
- Immunotherapy that stimulates the patient’s natural immune system to fight the cancer.
These treatments often make the patient nauseated, unable to eat, and can reduce their ability to fight off other diseases or conditions, such as pneumonia or even the common cold.
Uterine cancer patients may also face:
- Skin burns from radiation,
- Reactions to medications,
- The inability to perform basic daily activities,
- Loss of employment,
- Extensive and long-term medical care and rehabilitation,
- Mental and emotional distress, and
- Death.
Since most uterine cancer victims have surgeons remove their uterus, they can no longer bear children and will probably start menopause regardless of their age. These circumstances create another group of physical and emotional repercussions beyond the typical issues faced by cancer survivors.
What Compensation Can I Recover in a Uterine Cancer Product Liability Claim?
Because every case is different, we would need to gather more information from you to calculate a potential compensation award. During a free consultation with one of our product liability lawyers, we will discuss your unique situation, what you have gone through, and what the future may bring. We can investigate your claim, gather evidence for you, and create a legal strategy to recover the maximum amount possible.
We understand that uterine cancer, or any other type of cancer, presents an extremely stressful, painful, emotional, and life-changing experience. A cancer diagnosis also involves extensive medical treatments and overwhelming expenses. You may miss work to attend multiple doctor visits and face significant changes in your quality of life.
Most states allow a product liability claimant to recover compensation for economic and non-economic losses, known as legal damages. Economic losses can include medical bills, lost income, and other expenses that you can document. Non-economic losses may include mental anguish, pain and suffering, loss of family relationships, and other items that are more difficult to calculate.
A dedicated and compassionate personal injury attorney can help you determine your legal damages and work with you to recover as much as possible to help you move forward.
How Our Product Liability Lawyers Can Help You
We are proud to earn the distinction of an award-winning personal injury law firm dedicated to helping clients who defective products harmed. Our product liability lawyers provide over 100 years of combined experience to advocate for clients suffering serious, complicated injuries and losses. We’ll use our knowledge and skills to help you prepare and present a solid product liability case to recover the losses you deserve.
When you speak with one of our product liability lawyers, we can explain whether you can take legal action, who you can hold responsible, the damages you can request, and how the process works. Our goal is to help you recover the compensation you need to put your life back in order and hold negligent manufacturers responsible for the injuries their products cause.
Let’s Talk About Your Hair Straightener Cancer-Related Lawsuit
If you or a loved one used chemical hair straighteners or relaxers and then received a uterine cancer diagnosis, we can help. We promise to provide the highest quality services as we guide you through the complicated product liability legal process. Let us help you pursue your legal options and find peace of mind.
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