11-year Study Finds Possible Link Between Hair Straightener Use and Uterine Cancer

For decades, many women have used chemical hair straightening products at home and at hair salons.

These products are used to relax hair for braids and other hairstyles and have been a product of choice for women’s hair-care routines.

Unfortunately, studies have been published that warn about hair straightening products causing hormone-sensitive cancers like uterine cancer.

The National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) conducted a long-term study that first sought to identify risk factors for breast cancer.

Within the cohort of women studied, researchers identified other risk factors for uterine cancer diagnoses.

The study found that chemical hair straightening products were linked to an increased rate of hormone-related cancers.

After detailing the study participants’ lifestyles and histories, one trend stood out — the women who developed uterine cancer (and breast and ovarian cancers) were frequent users of chemical hair straightening products.

As a result, the NIEHS’s Cancer Epidemiology Group published its findings in the National Cancer Institute’s journal in 2022.

The findings sent shockwaves across the medical, legal, and cosmetic community as it was the first to definitively link chemical hair straightening products and uterine cancer risk.

NIEHS Study Findings

The 11-year study conducted by the NIEHS not only established the link between chemical hair straightening products and uterine cancer incidence; it also ruled out other risk factors.

Based on the study’s findings, hair straighteners were the major contributor to health disparities among the study’s 33,437 participants.

According to the study, the women who developed uterine cancer used hair products like hair dyes and straighteners more than four times during the previous year.

Those who didn’t use chemical straighteners didn’t develop cancer.

The study concluded by saying that there’s a link between frequent use and uterine cancer risk.

According to the study’s lead author, frequent users were 4.05% more likely to develop uterine cancer than women who didn’t use hair straighteners.

Besides frequent usage of hair straighteners, there was one other finding that stood out — the demographic profile of the more vulnerable population.

Black Women Reported to Have Higher Risk of Uterine Cancer

Besides the link between hair straightener use and uterine cancer, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences also noted the increased risk of uterine cancer among Black women.

Of the 33,437 participants, more than 378 developed uterine cancer.

Of the 378 cases of uterine cancer observed, 60% who developed cancer in the previous year self-identified as Black women.

This finding points toward the increased risk of uterine cancer in Black women.

While the study didn’t delve deep into why Black women were more susceptible, the researchers noted that the incidence rate may be higher due to frequent hair straightener use among this demographic.

Other organizations have identified the risk of uterine cancer being heightened for black women.

According to the Resilient Sisterhood Project, a non-profit dedicated to raising awareness on the reproductive health of black women, black women are significantly more likely than white women to have advanced stages of uterine cancer and to have more aggressive tumor types (clear cell, serous, high-grade endometrioid, and malignant mixed Mullerian tumors).

The American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology conducted a study on the mortality rates of endometrial cancer, finding an increased risk for black women to suffer from aggressive forms of uterine cancer.

Their study identifies two (2) reasons for this increased risk of aggressive uterine cancer:

• Black women have a higher prevalence of molecular and genetic markers for more aggressive forms of endometrial cancer
• Black women are often less likely to receive proper care for the disease, and the disease is often diagnosed at later and more aggressive stages compared to white women.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has also found that uterine fibroid growth is more common among black women than other ethnic groups.

Black women use chemical hair straighteners and hair relaxers at much higher rates than white women and also at much earlier ages.

Hair Straightening Chemicals That Might Lead to Increased Uterine Cancer Risk

Recent cancer research has shown that hair products contribute to increased uterine cancer risk.

However, what is it about hair products like permanent dyes and straighteners that lead to increased uterine cancer incidence?

To answer this question, we need to look at the chemical compositions of these hair products.

Knowing the specific chemicals that go into these hair products will expose you to how carcinogenic chemical straighteners can be.

Hair straighteners and similar products contain several chemicals.

These chemicals can lead to a higher risk of uterine cancer and other cancers like breast and ovarian cancer.

Formaldehyde

Formaldehyde is a colorless and tasteless chemical that’s ubiquitous in hair products.

Since the 1980s, formaldehyde has been found to cause tumor growth in rats.

Over the years, more researchers found that formaldehyde is also carcinogenic to humans.

Any exposure to formaldehyde can place a person at risk of developing uterine cancer.

According to the American Cancer Society, leukemia is another common cancer caused by formaldehyde.

Lead and Cadmium

Hair straightening products may also contain heavy metals like cadmium and lead.

These metals aren’t just toxic.

Cancer research also finds that they can cause extreme damage the female reproductive system.

Lead and cadmium are only two carcinogenic metals in hair straighteners and other similar products.

Anyone who has used chemical hair straighteners for any period is at an increased risk of being diagnosed with uterine or endometrial cancer.

Parabens

Parabens are also common ingredients in hair straighteners and permanent dyes.

In small amounts, they do not cause cancer.

However, cancer risk seems to increase with regular and prolonged exposure to them.

Benzophenone-3

Benzophenone-3 is a toxic ingredient that has a long half-life.

In other words, it takes a lot of time for the chemical to degrade.

By the time it does, it may have already contributed to the development of uterine and endometrial cancer.

Benzophenone-3 leads to various types of cancers besides uterine cancer.

In fact, one study in 2017 linked Benzophenone-3 to increased lung cancer metastasis.

Phthalates in Chemical Hair Straightening Products

Phthalates are one of many endocrine-disrupting chemicals often found in hair straighteners.

These chemicals disrupt the normal secretion of estrogen.

As a result, high concentrations of these chemicals place women at risk of uterine cancer.

Besides uterine cancer, breast cancer is another type of cancer potentially caused by phthalates and other endocrine-disruptive chemicals.

What To Do if You've Used Hair Straighteners and Been Diagnosed with Uterine Cancer

If you’ve used chemical straighteners and similar products, you may be at a higher risk to develop uterine cancer.

Our Hair Relaxer Lawyers recommend taking the following steps if you’ve been diagnosed with cancer after frequent use of hair straightening products.

Seek Medical Treatment and Retain Medical Records

Seeking expert medical attention is crucial for both your health and protecting your legal rights in the case of a Hair Relaxer Lawsuit.

We understand that medical care for uterine cancer and other hormonal cancers can be costly, both financially and in regard to your health and well-being.

Our lawyers are here to support you through your cancer treatment and help you recover compensation.

File Your Chemical Hair Straightener Lawsuit

If you’ve developed uterine, endometrial, or breast cancer, you have a right to hold negligent parties responsible.

You may be eligible to file a chemical hair straightener lawsuit and recover financial compensation for what you’ve gone through.

To file a Hair Relaxer Lawsuit, contact TorHoerman Law for a free consultation.

You can also use the chatbot on this page to instantly find out if you have a case.

Gather All Your Medical Records

Your medical records will prove your illness and the cancer care you’ve received.

Also, collect your prescriptions and any receipt of medical expenses from your treatment.

All of these will be crucial to determining damages, proving your illness, and determining liability when you file your lawsuit.

If Possible, Gather Evidence Proving That You Purchased Hair Straightening Products

You can strengthen your claim if you can prove that you used a particular hair straightening product.

Proving that you used a particular hair product before you developed cancer helps establish a critical element in product liability claims — causation.

By showing that you used a product before you developed cancer, you’ll show that the product may be to blame for your uterine cancer diagnosis.

Evidence could include receipts of purchase, photo or video evidence, personal and witness testimony, and any other proof of hair relaxer use.

TorHoerman Law: Your Hair Straightener Lawyers

Our attorneys are currently accepting clients who are eligible to file lawsuits over the links between frequent use of hair straightening chemicals and risk of developing uterine cancer, endometrial cancer, breast cancer, and other health problems.

Do you believe you qualify for the Hair Straightener Cancer Lawsuit?

Contact TorHoerman Law for a free consultation.

Unsure if you qualify for the Hair Relaxer Lawsuit?

You can find out in under 2 minutes by using our website chat on this page.

We are gathering potential clients and strategizing legal action against hair straightener manufacturers whose products exposed women to an increased risk for developing cancer.

Our law firm is committed to helping people harmed at no fault of their own seek compensation for what they’ve experienced.

We work on a contingency fee basis, which means that we DO NOT charge for legal representation unless success is won for your case.

Don’t hesitate to reach out and speak to our legal team today. We are here to help.