FDA plans to propose ban on some chemical hair straightening products

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MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Plans are in the works to ban certain hair straightening products that some doctors and researchers say could make you sick.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is proposing a ban on some chemical hair relaxers and other hair straightening products. This comes after researchers discovered a link between regular use of these products and cancer.

Women who used chemical hair straightening products more than four times a year were twice as likely to develop uterine cancer.

The FDA is proposing a ban on hair straightening products specifically containing formaldehyde and other similar chemicals that have been found to lead to cancer.

While researchers have been following this topic for some time, a recent study published by the National Cancer Institute revealed some alarming information.

Data was collected from more than 30-000 women for 11 years and women who frequently used certain chemical hair straightening products were at a greater risk of cancer. In addition to uterine cancer, breast and ovarian cancers have also been linked to these products. Doctors at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health say the research speaks for itself.

"There is something in these chemical hair straightening products that is likely driving an increased risk of uterine cancer," said Dr. Janelle Sobecki, Gynecologic Oncology, UW-Health.

Researchers have looked at a variety of chemical hair products and found that only certain ones are linked to certain hormone-related cancers.

"What was interesting is that they did not find this risk with some of the other common salon level hair care products that women use. They did not find this association with perms, highlights, dyes, bleaching but did find this association with chemical hair straightening products when women used them more often," said Dr. Sobecki.

Researchers also found Black women to be at a higher risk due to more frequent use of these chemical hair straightening products.

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