Chemical Hair Straightening Products Appear To Increase The Risk Of Uterine Cancer
In South Carolina, as in other states, product liability laws protect consumers who have been harmed by consumer products. Consumers who suffered preventable illnesses or injuries because of the products have the right to sue the manufacturer of the product and request compensation for the medical bills and other financial losses they suffered as a result of the product-related injury or illness. The legal principles underlying a product liability lawsuit are the same as those underlying any other personal injury lawsuit, such as one arising from a traffic collision or a dog bite. Some product liability cases relate to defective automobile parts that lead to collisions even when the driver is doing everything right. Others relate to children’s toys and furniture items that cause injury or to pharmaceutical drugs that frequently cause severe adverse reactions. A recent study has shown that women who frequently use chemical products to straighten their hair have a higher incidence of uterine cancer than women of similar age and ethnic background who have never used these products. If you have been diagnosed with cancer, and your doctor suspects that hair straighteners or other carcinogenic consumer products played a role, contact a Columbia product liability lawyer.
Study Shows a Relationship Between Hair Straightener Use and Uterine Cancer
A study published in the current issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute posits a link between uterine cancer and chemical hair straightening products. Researchers at the National Institutes of Health followed an ethnically diverse group of nearly 40,000 American women between the ages of 35 and 74 for a period of ten years. It found that women who had used chemical hair straighteners and relaxers were significantly more likely to develop uterine cancer, especially type I endometrial cancer, which is highly sensitive to hormones. The women who were diagnosed with uterine cancer during the study were more likely to have reported frequent (four times or more per year) use of popular commercial products such as L’Oreal Dark & Lovely, Revlon Fabulaxer, and Just for Me by Strength of Nature.
The researchers hypothesize that formaldehyde and similar chemicals in chemical hair straighteners act as endocrine disruptors, leading to a higher ratio of estrogen to progesterone than women who have not yet entered menopause would normally have. While other studies have linked various hair products to other hormone-dependent gynecological cancers such as breast cancer and ovarian cancer, this is the first study to suggest a relationship between hair care products and uterine cancer. The results may lead to additional warnings on the packaging of the products or to class action lawsuits open to women who received a diagnosis of uterine cancer after using the hair products.
Let Us Help You Today
The personal injury lawyers at the Stanley Law Group can help you if you or a family member suffered serious injuries as a result of using a consumer product in its intended manner. Contact The Stanley Law Group in Columbia, South Carolina or call (803)799-4700 for a free initial consultation.
Source:
academic.oup.com/jnci/article/114/12/1636/6759686?login=false
