Over the past decades, uterine cancer incidence has been on the rise across the country, especially among Black women, and one of the contributors might be the use of chemical hair relaxers. These products are usually marketed to this demographic and, unsettlingly, also to children. If you developed uterine cancer due to using hair strengthening products, we encourage you to contact our skilled attorneys, as you might be entitled to financial compensation.
Doubled risk of uterine cancer
A recent study by the National Institutes of Health followed 33,497 women over a period of eleven years to determine whether their use of various hair products, such as dyes, bleach, and perms, can influence their uterine cancer risk. It was found that the participants who reported frequent use of hair straightening products – more than four times in the previous year – were more than twice as likely to develop uterine cancer as those who did not use such products. While the uterine cancer risk for women who have never used hair relaxers is 1.64%, that of those who chemically straighten their hair regularly is 4.05%. Roughly 60% of the women who reported using hair relaxers identified as Black, according to the study, which was published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
When uterine cancer is caused by using toxic hair relaxers, it usually has a latency of 5 years. The following subtypes of uterine cancer might deem a woman eligible to file a claim if she has been using chemical hair straightening products:
- endometrial cancer (type 1 - strong association, type 2 - unreliable association)
- uterine sarcoma
Some of the chemicals in many popular brands of hair relaxers that have a strong association with uterine cancer are:
- formaldehyde
- parabens
- bisphenol A
- cadmium
According to a study from the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, exposure to endocrine disruptor compounds at critical windows of early development, such as puberty, has the most dramatic impact on later life cancer development. Researchers evaluated the connection between uterine cancer and bisphenol A. They concluded that there was a correlation between the increase in bisphenol A levels in the environment and the incidence of malignant tumors in humans. In a study where the ability of the chemical to impact human estrogen receptor binding and protein and cell proliferation was evaluated, bisphenol A was able to bind to the human uterine estrogen receptor.
Finally, cadmium, a heavy metal that might lurk in hair strengthening products, is also linked to uterine cancer development. Women are at greater risk of cadmium accumulation, as the cadmium levels in their blood and urine are significantly higher than in men due to their lower iron levels. Although it accumulates mostly in the lungs, kidneys, and liver, cadmium is also retained in the reproductive organs. Due to the endocrine-disrupting properties of the metal, it has been suggested that exposure may cause estrogen-dependent diseases such as uterine cancer. Interestingly, women with a lower body mass index (BMI) have a higher risk of developing this disease as a result of cadmium exposure.
Key facts
Active MDL
MDL 3060, N.D. Ill.
Key NIH study
Sister Study, 2022
Increased uterine cancer risk
2.5×