Hairdressers, beauticians, accountants at increased risk of developing ovarian cancer: Study

Hairdressers, beauticians, and accountants may be at a heightened risk of ovarian cancer because of environmental factors associated with their workplaces, new research published in the BMJ Journal Occupational & Environmental Medicine said.

High long-term exposure to agents such as talcum powder, hair dust, ammonia, hydrogen peroxide, organic dyes and pigments, and bleaches was associated with an increased risk of more than 40 per cent, agents which are commonplace at workspaces of hairdressers, beauticians, barbers and related workers.

Specifically, working for 10 or more years in these roles was linked with a three-fold increased risk of developing ovarian cancer, the research in nearly 1,400 Canadian women found.

Being employed as an accountant for the same period was associated with a doubling in risk, while working in construction nearly tripled it, the research from Universite de Montreal, Canada, and other institutes said.

Long term employment in the clothing industry, including embroidery, was linked to an 85 per cent increase in risk of the disease, and that in the sales and retail to 45 and 59 per cent increases in risk, respectively.

Other harmful agents associated with more than 40 per cent increased risk of ovarian cancer due to long-term exposure (8 years or more) to them included synthetic and/or polyester fibres, cellulose, formaldehyde, propellant gases and naturally occurring chemicals in petrol.

The women participants included those from the PRevention of OVArian Cancer in Quebec (PROVAQ) study, all aged 18-79 and who had been recruited from seven Montreal hospitals between 2010 and 2016 after being diagnosed with epithelial ovarian cancer.

In all, the researchers said, 491 women having cancer were matched for age and electoral roll district with 897 women who did not have cancer.

Further, they found more of the women with ovarian cancer to have lower educational attainment, shorter oral contraceptive use, and either fewer or no children compared to women not having cancer, all of which are potential risk factors for the disease.

They said that while it was not clear if these associations were driven by a single agent, a combination, or other workplace factors, nonetheless, their results suggested that employment in certain occupations and specific occupational exposures may be associated with increased risks of ovarian cancer.