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Woman claims L'Oréal hair straightening products caused uterine cancer: See details

Diandra Debrosse Zimmermann, a lawyer for Mitchell, said her firm already has other clients in similar circumstances. She said there would likely be more lawsuits in the future, as "many women will be coming forward in the coming weeks and months to seek accountability."

Woman claims LOreal hair straightening products caused uterine cancer: See details AJR
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First Published Oct 26, 2022, 11:01 AM IST

A Missouri woman sued L'Oreal SA and alleged that she developed uterine cancer as a result of using the French cosmetic company's hair-straightening products.

On Friday, the lawsuit was filed at the federal court in Chicago. This came days after a study from the US National Institute of Environmental Health Safety (NIEHS) finding that hair-straightening products may significantly increase the risk of uterine cancer among frequent users.

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Jennifer Mitchell, the plaintiff, said that she was diagnosed with uterine cancer in 2018, after using L'Oreal's products since about 2000, when she was 10. She is asking the court to order L'Oreal to pay unspecified money damages and to pay for medical monitoring.

Diandra Debrosse Zimmermann, a lawyer for Mitchell, said her firm already has other clients in similar circumstances. She said there would likely be more lawsuits in the future, as "many women will be coming forward in the coming weeks and months to seek accountability."

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L'Oreal, however, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

According to federal government data, uterine cancer is the most common gynecologic cancer in the United States, with rates rising, particularly among Black women.

Last week, NIEHS researcher Che-Jung Chang had said that the new study could be particularly relevant to Black women because they tend to use hair straighteners more frequently and beginning at earlier ages than people of other races.

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Mitchell, who is Black, accuses L'Oreal of deliberately marketing its hair-straightening products to Black women and girls and failed to warn of risks, despite knowing since at least 2015 that they contained potentially dangerous chemicals.

The lawsuit also said that the company "profited, significantly" from "unethical and illegal conduct that caused plaintiff to purchase and habitually use a dangerous and defective product"

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