Hair Dye Increases Lymphoma Risk

A European study suggests that the use of hair dye increases the risks of developing the cancer know as lymphoma. This is especially true for those dyes used prior to 1980. Lymphoma is a cancer of the lymphatic system- a network of thin vessels and nodes located throughout the body. Its function is to fight infection. In lymphoma, white blood cells known as lymphocytes replicate at an alarming rate. The National Institutes of Health report that five percent of all cancer cases in the U.S. are lymphomas. This study published in the July 1st issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology, compared the use of hair dye in over 2,000 lymphoma patients to healthy individuals. The results showed that dye use increased the risk of lymphoma by 19%. This risk increased to 26% when hair dye was used 12 or more times a year. The researchers also noted that individuals who started colouring their hair prior to 1980 had an even higher risk of developing lymphoma. This may be related to the fact that during the late seventies and early eightees, the ingredients in hair dyes were modified to eliminate those suspected of producing tumors. The findings suggest that the use of hair dye could be responsible for 10 percent of lymphoma cases in women. It should be noted that it is unclear whether the compounds used in today?s hair dyes are as carcinogenic as those previously used.