PiP Video Presentation

Synthesis Report Sketch

Decision: To continue or discontinue frequently using permanent dye on my hair (once every 2-3 months)

Hypotheses:
1. Use of permanent hair dye causes breast cancer.
http://m.cancer.org/cancer/cancercauses/othercarcinogens/intheworkplace/hair-dyes
http://ww5.komen.org/BreastCancer/Table24Hairdyesandbreastcancerrisk.html

According to the Susan G. Koman website, there are no significant findings that permanent hair dye is a cause of breast cancer, the American Cancer Society reports similar findings but maintains that although it is not a proven cause, a risk may still be involved. I'm not sure if I'm going to include this hypothesis, even though it's one that I hear most often. I assume it's heard so much because breast cancer is the cancer most commonly associated with women, and hair dying tends to be a more feminine practice. I may include it just to dispel the false claims.

2. Use of permanent hair dye causes lymphoma.
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/578427
http://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT00700427
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/hair-dyes

The sources mention multiple times that conflicting results have come from studies on non-Hodgkins Lymphoma and hair dye. The factor that seems to smooth out the inconsistencies is including the variable: "Started Using Permanent Hair Dye Before 1980", before which, known carcinogens were still included in the permanent hair dye formula. Another factor that weighs less heavily on results but still makes a small impact, is the color: darker colors tend to have more severe formulas and are more likely to cause non-Hodgkins lymphoma.

3. Use of permanent hair dye causes bladder cancer.
http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/cancer-info/healthyliving/cancercontroversies/hairdyes/hair-dyes-and-cancer
http://www.usc.edu/uscnews/stories/6361.html
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12663508
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21678399

Like the studies on NHL, the studies on bladder cancer have been inconclusive; however, it is agreed that semi-permanent and temporary hair dyes pose little to no risk of bladder cancer. One study concluded that, regardless of smoking (a known cause of bladder cancer), a person who frequently dyes his/her hair is twice as likely to develop bladder cancer, and that a person working around hair dye (salon workers) are five times as likely to develop bladder cancer. Bladder cancer has been attributed in part to exposure to the family of chemicals known as arylamines, which seeps through the scalp during the hair dye process and is expelled though urine, thus passing through the bladder, making itself a risk factor.


4. Only salon workers are at risk of getting cancer from exposure to permanent hair dye.
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/disparities/lifelines/2012/2012-beauty-products-hl.pdf
http://ije.oxfordjournals.org/content/38/6/1512.long
http://www.usc.edu/uscnews/stories/6361.html

Salon workers have a higher rate of cancer than the rest of the population; however, this does not necessarily prove that prolonged exposure to permanent hair dye causes cancer, as products such as chemical relaxers, straighteners, and perms all contain carcinogens and/or suspected carcinogens, and are all frequently used in salons. One article states that salon workers (who have worked in the profession for ten years or longer) are five times more likely to develop bladder cancer than the general population.

Article Review 3

This article focused on Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma in relation to hair dye, primarily the use of permanent dyes, as these contain harsher chemicals. The time the dye was used is another factor this study focused on as most hair dye formulas changed around 1980 when known carcinogens were removed. 4,461 women with NHL and 5,799 women without NHL were interviewed on their use of hair dye. Women who began using the dyes before 1980 had a lightly increased risk of developing NHL (around thirty percent); whereas women who never used dyes and women who began using hair dye after 1980 saw no significant difference. Women using darker dyes used after 1980 showed a very slight increase in follicular lymphoma. Acute leukemia has been seen in women who frequently use hair dye for personal use.

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/hair-dyes

Article Review 2: Interventionist

I couldn’t find an interventionist study done with hair dye, presumably because you can’t force some people to dye their hair, or work around hair dye, and force others to not dye their hair, or avoid working around hair dye. So I decided to read/write about a study I took part in a few years back. Of course, I couldn’t find the results of this study, so I read about a very similar trial. The trial I was in involved a newer version of Strattera, an Eli Lilly medication for treating ADHD. Unfortunately this drug has many side effects, including extreme drowsiness to the point of interfering with daily life. The study drug I was “taking” was supposed to eliminate this side effect. As it turns out, I was on a placebo. The study I read about was set up extraordinarily similarly; this one about Strattera. It was conducted as a double-blind study, meaning that the doctor administering the drug also did not know which dose of the drug the patients were taking, if any at all. The patients could take anywhere from 40mg to 100mg of eitheratomoxetine hydrochloride (Strattera) or a placebo, which looked exactly like the actual Strattera pill. The test was conducted to see if the drug is, in fact, as effective as previously thought, and if the drug will remain effective over a long period of time (at least one year). They came to pretty much the same conclusion as the original clinical trials, meaning that the drug was effective in treating moderate to severe ADHD in adult patients, ages 18-50, for a year or more before the effect will become null and patients will feel a relapse of symptoms. Many people were excluded from the study, including people with depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder. This excludes many confounding variables, but is also completely unrealistic. By excluding these variables instead of using them as factors, the trial is almost useless. ADHD usually comes along with other psychological disorders, such as the ones used as exclusionary factors; thus making this trial’s findings completely useless information for many people with ADHD in addition to other psychological disorders who may need this medicine at one point of another. Others excluded: those with current drug or alcohol dependence or taking medicines that have proved to react with the Strattera. The study was one to test the safety of the drug, as in, testing to see if the drugs effects will wear off without the patients’ knowledge; however, I see the drugs reactions/interactions with other drugs to be an extremely important factor in safety. I was not satisfied with the findings of this particular study.

http://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT00700427

Article Review 1

Permanent hair dye not only has the potential to harm those tinting their hair, but also the salon professionals who work with the harmful substances daily. Professional hair colorists seem to actually face more health risks than those with the color sitting on their scalps in the salon. With many of the ingredients in hair dye known to be carcinogens, and some suspected carcinogens, researchers have been looking into the subject for quite some time.

The FDA has not approved all ingredients in hair dye. When the FDA first began regulating ingredients in these products in the 1930s, the ones already in use were not tested; many of these ingredients are still in use today, and the scientific community has little to no evidence as to what effect these chemicals may have on the body. 1980 is another turning point in the evolution of hair dye formula. Many studies now incorporate [started using hair dye before 1980, after 1980] as a separate variable because of both how much formula has changed over the years and also how long-term use effects health.

On top of cancer risks, hair color poses other risks to chronic users. Allergic skin reactions, hair loss, and eye irritation are among the most commonly cited problems. In extreme cases, blindness may occur from either contact to the eye or simply from the fumes.

This said, it is unclear what exactly can come of long-term hair color use. Most companies offer lengthy warning and precautions to avoid excessive and unnecessary exposure to harsh chemicals. International Research Agency for Cancer has concluded that a profession dealing with permanent hair color is “probably carcinogenic for humans,” but at-home hair color cannot be classified due to the lack of substantiated research. Studies that have been conducted on the subject have varied greatly: namely in the regard to where the studies were conducted: in a lab (interventional) as opposed to observational studies done in people. The interventional studies mainly focused on animals and how their bodies reacted to large amounts of the chemicals commonly found in hair dyes. Unfortunately, these results don’t always directly translate to human reaction to the same chemicals. Observational studies seem to be more effective in this case. The first distinction made is [People who use hair dye regularly, People exposed to hair dye at work]. Professional exposure to chemicals in hair dye has been correlated to a slight, yet statistically significant, increase in instances of bladder cancer. This increase does not translate to people only exposed to hair dye through personal home use. As mentioned before, the use of the variable [started before 1980, after 1980], comes into play with the instances of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, as woman who began before 1980 typically have an increased risk. [Darker colors, lighter colors] variable has a similar effect to that of the year 1980.  Darker hair colors tend to have more harsh chemicals and are believed to have a greater negative effect on health. Those who come in frequent contact with hair dye do not have a significantly increased risk of either breast cancer or blood cancers. Not much can be said about other cancers as not enough research has been done on the subject.

Lack of concrete evidence halts this article from fulfilling the question as to whether or not personal use of hair dye will cause serious health risks; however, the evidence the article does offer, shows that it clearly cannot be beneficial to my health. After reading all the evidence the article could provide, I do not feel a strong need to stop dying my hair regularly; however I would be weary going into a professional hair care field. One aspect I wish was addressed further in this article was the links from hair color to breast cancer. I’ve read studies that have concluded that a father with prostate cancer can foreshadow a daughter developing breast cancer later in life. My father has prostate cancer, and although it is under control, I would like to take as many precautions as possible in avoiding breast cancer. If coloring my hair could lead to me developing breast cancer I would like to stop now.

http://m.cancer.org/cancer/cancercauses/othercarcinogens/intheworkplace/hair-dyes

Possible PIP Topics

1. Hair Dye:
I dye my hair on the regular. As a natural blonde, I've been dying my hair every two months or so for the past 5 years. I've read that women who dye their hair regularly have an increased risk of bladder cancer along with other health risks. I'd like to find out how much danger I'm putting myself in for cosmetic purposes.

• Dying hair monthly increases risk of bladder cancer by 2x.
• Hair dye negatively effects fertility.
• Breast cancer has been documented in salon workers, if I dye my hair often, will this effect transfer?

2. Gluten-free
I recently learned that I'm gluten intolerant; however, I've also noticed a huge trend in eating gluten free among those without the allergy. I feel much better now that I'm not eating gluten but I'd like to learn what other advantages this lifestyle has and why someone without an allergy would decide to eat this way, especially if most advantages are "potential."

• A gluten free diet can reduce the symptoms of autism.
• A gluten free diet can reduce the symptoms of down syndrome.
• A gluten free diet helps with weight loss, cholesterol levels, and energy levels.

3. Teeth Whiteners
To whiten or not to whiten, that is the question. I like to whiten my teeth, but after hearing all of the possible negative side effects, I'm wondering if I should switch to a "home remedy" such as baking soda. I'm also wondering if it's equally effective.

• Whitening teeth removes the enamel.
• Whitening teeth causes gums to recede.
• Baking soda + peroxide mixture costs much less, and works just the same.