Women Who Used Hair Relaxers Years Ago Are Now Suing

Back in the 1990s, it was a common beauty routine for Black women: Every month or so, they'd go to the salon to have their hair chemically straightened. Today, thousands of those same women have filed lawsuits alleging that the treatments gave them cancer, particularly uterine or ovarian cancer. One of the biggest concentrations of suits—more than 600— comes from Georgia, and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution is taking an in-depth look at the issue, one that involves interviews with some of the plaintiffs. "Everybody was getting it," says JoAnna Zackery, who began her own treatments in 1990 to emulate Black women she saw on TV. "It was beautiful to see straight hair, and I wanted it. I wanted to try it." In 2023, doctors found cancer lining her uterus, and Zackery blames the companies behind the products.

The science is new but sobering. A 2022 NIH study found frequent users of relaxers were more than twice as likely to develop uterine cancer. Though Georgia trails only Illinois in lawsuits, a state law may block most claims in the state. The law protects companies from getting sued 10 years after a product was purchased—and it makes no allowances for cumulative exposure, the AJC explains. The state Supreme Court is expected to decide this year whether the Georgia cases can move forward. The companies involved, meanwhile, including Georgia-based Strength of Nature, say their products cause no problems when used properly. "We are confident that our products are safe and believe that our mention in the lawsuits is unmerited," the company says in a statement. Read the full story.