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Hair dyes linked to bladder cancer 4-2-08

Using hair dyes may increase risk for bladder cancer, a review study suggests.

After reviewing evidence, a panel of the International Agency for Research on Cancer in Lyon, France found a small but consistent risk of bladder cancer in male hairdressers and barbers.

The increased risk of bladder cancer could be extended to personal use of hair dyes, says The Independent.

A second review on personal use of hair dyes found evidence suggesting a possible association with lymphoma and leukemia in addition to bladder cancer.

But the panel found the evidence on the link was inadequate and concluded that personal use of hair dyes was "not classifiable as to its carcinogenicity to humans".

The panel of 17 scientists met last February to consider the latest evidence and update advice last issued by the agency in 1993, according to The Independent, a UK newspaper.

Dark hair dyes tend to contain the highest level of the toxic colorants some of which had been discontinued because of the cancer link in rats.

Dr Robert Baan of the IARC and team were quoted as saying in The Lancet Oncology "Because of few supporting findings by duration or period of exposure, the working group considered these data as limited evidence of carcinogenicity and reaffirmed occupational exposures of hairdressers and barbers as 'probably carcinogenic to humans'."

Comment:

Several coal-tar hair dye ingredients have been found to cause cancer in laboratory animals. In the case of 4-methoxy-m-phenylenediamine (4-MMPD, 2,4-diaminoanisole) which had also been demonstrated in human and animal studies to penetrate the skin, the agency considered the risk associated with its use in hair dyes a "material fact" which should be made known to consumers. The regulation requiring a label warning on hair dye products containing 4-MMPD published in October 1979 was to become effective April 16, 1980. The regulation required that hair dyes containing 4-MMPD bear the following warning:

Warning - Contains an ingredient that can penetrate your skin and has been determined to cause cancer in laboratory animals.

Some hair dyes manufacturers held that the potential risk was too small to be considered "material" and challenged the validity of the regulation in court. The agency decided to reconsider its earlier position, entered into a consent agreement with hair dye manufacturers, and stayed the effectiveness of the regulation until completion of an assessment of the carcinogenic risk of 4-MMPD in accordance with scientifically accepted procedures.

In addition to 4-MMPD, the following other hair dye ingredients have been reported to cause cancer in at least one animal species in lifetime feeding studies: 4-chloro-m-phenylenediamine, 2,4-toluenediamine, 2-nitro-p-phenylenediamine and 4-amino-2-nitrophenol. They were also found to penetrate human and animal skin.

I dye my hair black and have always shunned hair dye, as black is known to be the most carcinogenic. I had been using Naturcolor because it worked as well as synthetic dye and has less nasty ingredients than so called natural hair color. However, after Naturcolor made my hair break, and fall out, my hairdresser said I would have to go back to synthetic or loose my hair. I decided this was the price I had to pay for being in the public eye! I had looked into henna but the henna at Wild Oats is not real henna and looked way to time consuming.

Then I found a site: www.hennaforhair.com, that really convinced me that Henna was the only way to go. I urge you, if you dye your hair, to visit that site and see if Henna will work for you. Or please, make sure the hair dye does not contain any of the above ingredients.