A 2022 study found that women who used chemical straightener or hair relaxing products were about 2.5 times more likely to develop uterine cancer than those who did not use those products.
The study findings were published on October 17, 2022, in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
This survey of more than 33,000 women conducted by the U.S. National Institutes of Health who used chemicals to straighten or relax their hair were found to be about 2.5 times more likely to develop uterine cancer than those who did not use those products.
Get The Help You DeserveWomen across the United States are filing lawsuits in federal court against companies that sell hair straightener/relaxer products, including:
These lawsuits allege that using these products caused the women to develop uterine cancer, endometrial cancer, uterine fibroids, and other serious diseases.
They further allege that these products did not display a warning label sufficient to warn these women of the risks associated with using these harmful products.
There are many other allegations as well.
See if you qualifyHair straighteners and relaxers contain various chemical compounds including phthalates. Phthalates are known to be 'endoctrine-disrupting chemicals,' which interfere with the body's own endocrine system.
The endocrine system is a critical part of the human body that regulates the nervous system, the reproductive system, and the body's metabolism. Even a slight disruption of the endocrine system can cause serious health issues.
Moreover, one of the phthalates contained in these hair relaxer products - Di-2-ethylhexylphthalate or DEHP - is a toxic artificial chemical that has been known to cause serious health conditions.
Click Here to Learn MoreThe U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) classified DEHP as reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen (a substance that can cause cancer in people).
And the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has determined that DEHP is a probable human carcinogen.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has also classified DEHP as possibly carcinogenic to humans.
Federal agencies are not the only agencies who have determined that DEHP is in fact toxic and a cancer-causing chemical compound. For example, since 1987, California's Proposition 65 (Prop 65) requires businesses to provide warnings to the state's residents about significant exposures to chemicals that cause cancer, birth defects, or other reproductive harm.
DEHP was added to the Prop 65 list in 2003 after determining that exposure to DEHP may increase the risk of cancer, and may also harm the male reproductive system; and exposure to DEHP during pregnancy may affect the development of the child.
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