Research Links Hair Dyes And Chemical Straighteners To Alarming Increase In Breast Cancer Rates For Black Women
A new study finds that black women who regularly used permanent dyes to color their hair were 60 percent more likely to develop breast cancer. While earlier research on hair dye and cancer risk included mostly white women, 9% of this study's participants were African-American women. In other public health news: CTE, children's health, a once-a-month birth control pill, and more.
The New York Times:
Hair Dyes And Straighteners May Raise Breast Cancer Risk For Black Women
For decades, scientists have debated whether hair dyes frequently used by women might contribute to cancer. The research has been mixed and inconclusive, but now government investigators have turned up a disturbing new possibility. Black women who regularly used permanent dyes to color their hair were 60 percent more likely to develop breast cancer, compared to black women who did not report using dye, according to an analysis published this week in the International Journal of Cancer. (Rabin, 12/4)
NPR:
Hair Dyes And Straighteners Linked To Higher Cancer Risk, Especially For Black Women
Researchers don't know which ingredients in the products might be of concern. The study did not look at the specific ingredients in the products women were using, only at whether they had used the product and whether they developed breast cancer. All women in the Sister Study were already at high risk for breast cancer since they had a sister who had breast cancer. (Neighmond, 12/4)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Hair Care Products Linked To Increased Breast Cancer Risk
"Researchers have been studying the possible link between hair dye and cancer for a long time, but results have been inconsistent," said corresponding author Alexandra White, head of the NIEHS Environment and Cancer Epidemiology Group. "In our study, we see a higher breast cancer risk associated with hair dye use, and the effect is stronger in African American women, particularly those who are frequent users." (Clanton, 12/4)
Los Angeles Times:
Fearing CTE, A Former USC Star's Family Donates His Brain
The brains arrive at all hours in white cardboard boxes stamped “RUSH!” Inside each package is an inch-and-a-half-thick foam liner and a red bag protecting an ordinary white plastic bucket. When a courier service delivered Kevin Ellison’s brain to the Bedford VA Medical Center near Boston just after 2 p.m. on Jan. 22, Dr. Victor Alvarez performed the routine he has done so many times that he’s stopped counting. (Fenno, 12/3)
Modern Healthcare:
Better Neighborhoods Boost Children's Health, Study Finds
Children who moved out of high-poverty neighborhoods visited the hospital significantly less, according to a new study. Children whose families received a housing voucher to move to low-poverty neighborhoods were admitted to the hospital nearly 16% less than families who remained in impoverished areas, curbing annual inpatient spending by 24%, according to a new analysis of 4,604 families tracked across an average of 11 years. The results for adults were insignificant, researchers found. (Kacik, 12/4)
The Associated Press:
Once-A-Month Birth Control Pill? Experiment Works In Animals
Birth control pills work great if women remember to take them every day but missing doses can mean a surprise pregnancy. Now scientists have figured out how to pack a month’s supply into one capsule. The trick: A tiny star-shaped gadget that unfolds in the stomach and gradually releases the drug. (12/4)
CNN:
MIT Scientists Test Once-A-Month Birth Control Pill And Say It Works On Pigs
The star-shaped capsule could help reduce unintended pregnancies that arise from users forgetting to take their daily dose of the pill, according to a news release from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The capsule is coated with gelatin that can remain in the stomach for weeks after being swallowed, the researchers said. From there, it slowly releases hormones to prevent pregnancy. (Cheung, 12/5)
Kaiser Health News:
As His Wife’s Caregiver, A Doctor Discovers What’s Missing At Health Care’s Core
Caring for someone with a serious illness stretches people spiritually and emotionally, often beyond what they might have thought possible. Dr. Arthur Kleinman, a professor of psychiatry and anthropology at Harvard University, calls this “enduring the unendurable” in his recently published book, “The Soul of Care: The Moral Education of a Husband and a Doctor.” (Graham, 12/5)
KQED:
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning From Portable Generators Proves Predictable – And Deadly
At certain levels, just five minutes of carbon monoxide exposure is enough to be fatal. The colorless, odorless gas is produced wherever fuel is burned, and can build to deadly levels especially quickly in enclosed spaces. Portable generators, whose engines each emit as much carbon monoxide as approximately 450 cars, are especially common culprits. (Treisman, 12/4)
