{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://beatty.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/beauty-shouldn-t-harm-beatty-champions-study-on-hair-products-and-cancer-risk", "Beauty Shouldn't Harm: Beatty Champions Study on Hair Products and Cancer Risk", "2024-09-24", "2024", "2024-09", "Democrat", "House", "OH", "Joyce Beatty", "B001281", "beatty.house.gov", "beatty", "https://beatty.house.gov/media-center/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, DC \u2013 Today, Congresswoman Joyce Beatty (OH-03) co-sponsored the Uterine Cancer Study Act, legislation introduced by Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09) and Congresswoman Shontel Brown (OH-11). This bill would require the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the National Institute of Health (NIH) to coordinate and conduct a study on the relationship between hair straighteners and uterine cancer.\n\nRecent studies have discovered that women who have used chemical hair straightening products are at higher risk for uterine cancer than those who have not \u2013 risks associated with and particularly higher in Black women.\n\nThis study is vital to preserving the lives of those impacted by:\n\nReviewing significant findings and recommendations from other studies regarding the relationship between hair straighteners and uterine cancer.\n\nConsidering the impacts on women and other individuals at risk of uterine cancer.\n\nDisaggregating the results of the study according to whether the hair straighteners contain dyes or coloring, bleach highlights, or perms.\n\nDetermining whether the FDA should impose additional testing requirements on manufacturers of hair straightening products.\n\nFocusing on the increased incidences of such cancer among women of color.\n\n\u201cAs a Black woman, I understand how deeply rooted hair care is in our community. Many of us were introduced to hair straighteners as young girls, unaware of the risks, said Congresswoman Beatty.Now, it\u2019s vital that we investigate the troubling relationship between these products and uterine cancer. The Uterine Cancer Study Act of 2024 will bring critical research and coordination to uncover the dangers and push for solutions that can save lives. Our community deserves answers, and this bill is a vital step to protecting ourselves and our daughters.\u201d\n\n\u201cLike many other Black women who have used hair straightening products, I was unaware of the potential connection and harmful impacts these chemicals would have on our overall health \u2013 putting me and other women of color at a higher risk for uterine cancer, the most common cancer related to the female reproductive system,\u201d said Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke. \u201cWe need more research to fully understand the relationship between perms and uterine cancer. This legislation will address the detrimental effects of chemicals within hair straighteners on women\u2019s health and hopefully, lead the FDA towards requiring manufacturers to test for cancer-causing chemicals.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe research supported by the Uterine Cancer Study Act is sorely needed to identify environmental and chemical factors contributing to the racial disparities associated with uterine cancer. By investigating the connection between those factors and cancer, we can create a path toward more informed choices and better health outcomes for Black women. I am proud to join Congresswoman Clarke and champion this vital legislation,\u201d said Congresswoman Shontel Brown.\n\n\u201cBeauty standards for years demanded that our hair be straight, but we can\u2019t help the way it grows out of our heads,\u201d said Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman. \u201cChemical hair straighteners have been linked to a variety of harmful hormone-related health outcomes \u2014 including higher instances of uterine cancer. Despite this, we still know very little about the long-term health risks that these products pose. That\u2019s why my sister, Rep. Clarke\u2019s bill to study the relationship between these hair products and uterine cancer is so important. We need to equip ourselves with the information to make safe choices. I strongly encourage the House to pass this crucial legislation.\u201d\n\n\u201cA recent NIH study stated that more than 4% of women with uterine cancer reported use of chemical straighteners, compared to the 1% of women who did not use these products,\u201d said Congressman Gregory W. Meeks. \u201cChemical relaxers have long been a part of Black Beauty and Hair Care; as a result, these purported adverse health effects disproportionately impact Black women. We need to deploy all of our available federal resources to better study and understand the real health implications on women of color. As a husband and father, I am proud to co-sponsor the Uterine Cancer Study Act of 2024.\u201d\n\n\u201cBlack women have been systematically left out of conversations and decisions about their own health. Women of color and our unique experiences have historically been underrepresented in research, leading to adverse health outcomes,\u201d said Congresswoman Robin Kelly. \u201cWe cannot allow the status quo to continue. I\u2019m proud to co-sponsor the Uterine Cancer Study Act to address the gap in knowledge between uterine cancer and hair products. Black women deserve to take care of our hair without being exposed to toxic ingredients that increase our already heightened risk of cancer.\u201d\n\n\u201cA woman\u2019s uterus is a sacred place. It should be the source of new birth, joy, and family, not pain or suffering. I am calling on Congress to accelerate the research on Uterine Cancer, to find out why women of color experience it at elevated rates and to discover treatments and preventative care. Let\u2019s not politicize women\u2019s health. We\u2019re all in this together,\u201d said Congresswoman Alma Adams.\n\n\u201cLet\u2019s prioritize research to better understand and diagnose uterine cancer. Uterine bleeding and uterine pain should not be categorically dismissed as normal,\u201d said Sateria Venable, CEO, The Fibroid Foundation.\n\n\u201cWomen of color are being sold hair straighteners that should come with a cancer warning. We now know that women who have used chemical hair straightening products are at higher risk for uterine cancer than those who have not. However, more research is needed to understand this connection better, and the Uterine Cancer Study Act of 2024 will make determining how environmental factors contribute to these racial disparities a federal priority. Women of color\u2019s health and livelihood need\u2014and deserve\u2014nothing less,\u201d said Christian F. Nunes, National President, National Organization for Women.\n\n\u201cWe want to thank Congresswoman Yvette Clarke and Shontel Brown for their leadership in introducing the Uterine Cancer Study Act of 2024. Black women are at higher risk of uterine cancer, and comprehensive action is needed so that we know definitively why this is the case. We support efforts that improve research and education on uterine cancer and believe Black women should be partners in the research process,\u201d said Zsanai Epps, DrPH, MPH, CHES, Senior Director, Reproductive Justice Initiatives, Black Women\u2019s Health Imperative.\n\n\u201cAs the Executive Director of the Mississippi Black Women\u2019s Roundtable, I commend Brooklyn Congresswoman Yvette Clarke and her colleagues for championing the Uterine Cancer Study Act 2024. This legislation promises crucial advancements in addressing the disparities in uterine cancer research and care, particularly affecting Black women, and we fully endorse its passage,\u201d said Tomika Anderson, Executive Director, Mississippi Black Women\u2019s Roundtable.\n\nThe Uterine Cancer Study Act is co-sponsored by Reps. Adams, Blunt Rochester, Cherfilus-McCormick, Crockett, Don Davis, Fletcher, Foushee, Holmes Norton, Kelly, Lee, Lofgren, McBath, McClellan, Meeks, Plaskett, Sewell, Stanford, T Carter Sr., Tonko, Vel\u00e1zquez, Watson-Coleman, N. Williams, Wilson, and Wasserman Schultz.\n\nThe Uterine Cancer Study Act is endorsed by the Black Women\u2019s Health Imperative, Society for Women\u2019s Health Research, National Organization for Women, The Fibroid Foundation, The White Dress Project, Mississippi Black Women\u2019s Roundtable, MANA \u2013 A National Latina Organization, National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, Pro-Choice North Carolina, Sisters in Loss Foundation, National Women\u2019s Health Network.\n\nRead the full bill text here.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T21:43:57Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://beatty.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/beauty-shouldn-t-harm-beatty-champions-study-on-hair-products-and-cancer-risk"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9407787583768368, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}