I hear there's new research on the hair color/cancer issue. Has a connection been established?

    The latest word on this continuing concern comes from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), which has concluded that working regularly with hair dyes in hair salons and barbershops probably increases the risk of cancer and that long term employment in these establishments is "probably carcinogenic to humans."

    However, the IARC, a World Health Organization panel, reported that there is not enough evidence to conclude that occasional personal use of hair coloring raises the risk of cancer.

    This new report, published in the April, 2008, issue of Lancet Oncology, is the first scientific word on the subject since 2005, when Spanish researchers reported that their review of 79 studies from 11 countries yielded no strong evidence of a link between hair dye and cancer risk. The only connection the Spanish team observed was the possibility of a slight increase in the risks of leukemia and multiple myeloma, but they concluded that the causal effect was too weak to be a major concern.

    Earlier, researchers at Yale University found that long-term use of dark hair dye by women who began coloring their hair before 1980 may increase the risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. No such risk was seen among women who began dyeing their hair after 1980. Here, the difference may be due to the elimination of coal-tar-derived ingredients used in the older products that are known carcinogens. The Yale study was published in the Jan. 15, 2004, issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology.

    In general, I discourage use of hair dyes containing artificial coloring agents, which to my mind are as suspect in cosmetic products as they are in food. Hair dyes applied to the head are absorbed through the scalp, where there's a very rich blood supply that may carry them throughout the body. I'm sure that the new IARC report won't be the last word on this subject. I'll keep you posted on developments.

    我聽(tīng)說(shuō)了關(guān)于染發(fā)致癌的新研究。這兩者間有關(guān)系嗎？

    人們對(duì)于染發(fā)致癌持續(xù)關(guān)注，最新的說(shuō)法來(lái)源于國(guó)際癌癥研究機(jī)構(gòu)，機(jī)構(gòu)推斷在理發(fā)沙龍和理發(fā)店工作、定期接觸染發(fā)劑，將會(huì)增加得癌癥的幾率，在這些地方長(zhǎng)期受雇會(huì)對(duì)人體產(chǎn)生致癌物質(zhì)。

    然而，國(guó)家癌癥研究機(jī)構(gòu)，作為世界衛(wèi)生組織的代表，報(bào)道說(shuō)并沒(méi)有足夠的證據(jù)說(shuō)明偶然使用染發(fā)劑會(huì)有致癌風(fēng)險(xiǎn)。

    此最新報(bào)道出版于08年4月的《柳葉刀—腫瘤學(xué)》。這是自2005年來(lái)，西班牙研究者重新研究了11個(gè)國(guó)家的79項(xiàng)調(diào)查并得出沒(méi)有足夠的證據(jù)支持染發(fā)劑和致癌風(fēng)險(xiǎn)的關(guān)系之后，第一次有科學(xué)上的報(bào)道。

    早些年的時(shí)候，耶魯大學(xué)的研究者發(fā)現(xiàn)，在1980年前開(kāi)始使用染發(fā)劑的女性長(zhǎng)期使用黑色染發(fā)劑，也許會(huì)增加得非霍金奇淋巴瘤的幾率。在1980年后染發(fā)的 女性中沒(méi)有看到如此癥狀。也許原因歸于舊時(shí)產(chǎn)品中的衍生的煤焦油元素，它是一種致癌物質(zhì)。耶魯大學(xué)的研究發(fā)表于2004年1月15日的《美國(guó)流行病學(xué)雜 志》。

    總體來(lái)說(shuō)，我不贊成使用帶有人工色素染劑的染發(fā)劑，對(duì)于我來(lái)說(shuō)，對(duì)化妝用品的不可信就像對(duì)食物中一樣。用于頭部的染發(fā) 劑被頭皮吸收，頭皮處有非常豐富的血液供給組織，也許將會(huì)把他們傳送到全身上下。我確信國(guó)家癌癥研究機(jī)構(gòu)的最新報(bào)道不會(huì)是對(duì)這一問(wèn)題的最終說(shuō)法。我會(huì)為你 們提供這方面的最新消息。