The use of hair relaxers is not associated with an increased risk of breast cancer in black women, researchers from Boston University's Slone Epidemiology Center said in a report. (File Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    WASHINGTON, May 17 (Xinhua) -- The use of hair relaxers is not associated with an increased risk of breast cancer in black women, researchers from Boston University's Slone Epidemiology Center said in a report.

    The report, to be published in the May issue of Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention, is the first ever science report assessing hair relaxers in relation to a cancer.

    Since millions of women have used hair relaxers, and the carcinogenic potential of hair relaxers is unknown, Lynn Rosenberg, associate director of Slone Epidemiology Center, and colleagues examined the association of hair relaxer use with breast cancer incidence in the Black Women's Health Study.

    The Black Women's Health Study, conducted by Slone Epidemiology Center and Howard University Cancer Center, is a follow-up study of 59,000 African-American women from across the United States.

    While tracking data from 1997 to 2003, researchers combed through more than 266,000 person-years of follow-up data to determine that there is no increase in breast cancer incidence associated with hair relaxer use.

    "In the present study of African American women, increases in breast cancer risk were not associated with any categories of duration of hair relaxer use, frequency of use, age at first use, number of burns experienced during use, or type of relaxer used," said Rosenberg.

    For younger women, who used relaxers at earlier ages and more frequently than older women, no linkage was found either, he said.

    The findings prove that the use of hair relaxers are not causing breast cancer and do not contribute to a higher incidence of breast cancer, said Rosenberg.