US woman sues L'Oreal, claims company's hair products caused cancer
What's the story
A woman in the United States on Friday sued French cosmetics giant L'Oreal after she developed a rare uterine cancer, Agence France-Presse reported. The woman, Jenny Mitchell, alleged she used the company's hair-straightening products for two decades, after which she got cancer. This came after a recent study showed that excessive use of such hair products increases the risk of uterine cancer among women.
Context
Why does this story matter?
The lawsuit by the US woman has laid severe accusations on the multinational company that may result in widespread damage to the company's business. The suit followed a recent study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute in the US, which said there was a connection between uterine cancer and the use of "chemical hair-straightening products" in women.
Lawsuit
'Contest compensation for damages'
In the lawsuit against the cosmetics giant, Mitchell claimed that after using L'Oreal USA's hair-straightening products, she got uterine cancer and had to undergo a full hysterectomy, a surgical procedure to remove the uterus. The lawsuit seeks compensation from the firm's US arm for the "damages caused." The company is yet to respond to the accusations.
To increase profits
Black women exclusive target: Lawyer
Ben Crump, a personal lawyer for Mitchell, has said that Black women have been victims of such dangerous products being sold to them specifically, reported AFP. "We will likely discover that Ms. Mitchell's tragic case is one of the countless cases in which companies aggressively misled Black women to increase their profits," Crump told AFP.
Findings
What does recent study say?
The aforementioned study had "established a connection" between the use of chemical hair straighteners and uterine cancer, as per AFP. The study claims to have found that "women who used the products more than four times a year were more than twice as likely to develop uterine cancer than those who didn't use the products," reported the news agency.