Does Hair Coloring Cause Cancer?

[Guest guest]

Does Hair Coloring Cause Cancer?

 

First I heard that hair dye causes cancer. Now I hear that it

doesn't. What's the story? Would it be safe to color my hair?

 

-- Anonymous

 

 

Today's Answer (Published 10/14/2005)

 

 

 

The latest word on this ongoing question comes from a study in Spain

in which investigators analyzed data from 79 scientific studies

conducted in 11 countries and determined that there's no strong

evidence showing that the use of hair dye increases the risk of

cancer. Specifically, the research team found that, worldwide, the

use of hair coloring products has no apparent effect on breast and

bladder cancers, but may slightly increase the risk of leukemia and

multiple myeloma. However, they said that the causal effect was too

weak to be a major concern. Those who might be at greatest risk are

individuals whose work exposes them to hair dyes over a prolonged

period of time. The study was published in the May 25, 2005 issue of

the Journal of the American Medical Association.

 

Last year, a study from Yale University reported that long-term use

of dark hair coloring among women who began coloring their hair

before 1980 may increase the risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a

malignancy that occurs in the body's lymphatic system. Risks were

highest among those who dyed their hair a dark color eight times a

year or more. The study, published in the Jan. 15, 2004, issue of

the American Journal of Epidemiology, found no increased risk of

lymphoma among women who began dyeing their hair after 1980 - no

matter how often they applied color. This may be due to

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changes in the dye formulas (perhaps as a result of the elimination

of coal-tar ingredients after they were found to be carcinogenic

when fed to lab rats and mice). But the Yale researchers also raised

the possibility that women who started coloring their hair after

1980 may not have used the dyes long enough to see any adverse

effects. They're now studying whether any genetic factors might make

women who use dark hair dye more likely to develop lymphoma.

 

 

The incidence of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma has been on the upswing,

rising 73 percent between 1973 and 1991 and continuing to increase

ever since. Incidence rates are 60-percent higher than normal among

AIDS patients. Exposure to pesticides and other environmental toxins

also seem to play a role (pesticides have been linked with the

disease among farmers and higher than normal rates occur among dry

cleaners, rubber workers, aircraft maintenance workers and petroleum

refining workers).

 

In general, I discourage people from using hair dyes containing

artificial coloring agents, which to my mind are as suspect in

cosmetic products as they are in food. When you apply hair dyes to

your head, they're absorbed through the scalp, where there's a very

rich blood supply that may carry them throughout the body. I'm sure

the new study from Spain won't be the last word on this subject.

I'll keep you posted as further evidence comes in.

 

Andrew Weil, M.D.

www.drweil.com

_________________

JoAnn Guest

mrsjoguest

www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Genes