Hair Dye Linked to Blood Cancer
Hair Dye Linked to Blood Cancer
Long-Term Use of Dark, Permanent Dye May Raise Lymphoma Risk
Jan. 26, 2004 -- Long-term use of permanent hair dye -- in dark colors -- doubles a person's risk of certain blood cancers, new research shows.
Earlier studies have linked permanent hair dyes to bladder cancer as well as to the group of diseases known as non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma rates are up all over the world. Nobody knows why, says Yale researcher Tongzhang Zheng, ScD.
Zheng suspected that hair dyes might play a role. Use of hair dye is increasing. And the products -- especially the permanent types in dark colors -- may expose users to dangerous chemicals. So Zheng led a research team that analyzed hair dye use in 601 women with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and in 717 similar women without cancer.
The results: An increased risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma was observed for women who reported the use of hair coloring products before 1980. Women who used dark-colored permanent hair-coloring products for more than 25 years doubled their risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The risk was nearly the same for women who used more than 200 applications of these products. No increased risk was seen in women who used semi-permanent dyes or temporary rinses.
So should women stop using permanent hair dyes?
"Hair coloring is a personal decision for all kinds of reasons," Zheng tells WebMD. "But if I am the person, if semi-permanent or temporary dyes could serve my issue, I would do it. Because these contain much less of the ingredients linked to cancer."
Zheng's report appears in the Jan. 15 issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology.
Hair Dye Linked to Blood Cancer
Long-Term Use of Dark, Permanent Dye May Raise Lymphoma Risk
Jan. 26, 2004 -- Long-term use of permanent hair dye -- in dark colors -- doubles a person's risk of certain blood cancers, new research shows.
Earlier studies have linked permanent hair dyes to bladder cancer as well as to the group of diseases known as non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma rates are up all over the world. Nobody knows why, says Yale researcher Tongzhang Zheng, ScD.
Zheng suspected that hair dyes might play a role. Use of hair dye is increasing. And the products -- especially the permanent types in dark colors -- may expose users to dangerous chemicals. So Zheng led a research team that analyzed hair dye use in 601 women with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and in 717 similar women without cancer.
The results: An increased risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma was observed for women who reported the use of hair coloring products before 1980. Women who used dark-colored permanent hair-coloring products for more than 25 years doubled their risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The risk was nearly the same for women who used more than 200 applications of these products. No increased risk was seen in women who used semi-permanent dyes or temporary rinses.
So should women stop using permanent hair dyes?
"Hair coloring is a personal decision for all kinds of reasons," Zheng tells WebMD. "But if I am the person, if semi-permanent or temporary dyes could serve my issue, I would do it. Because these contain much less of the ingredients linked to cancer."
Zheng's report appears in the Jan. 15 issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology.
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