Use of hair dyes, hematopoietic neoplasms, and lymphomas: A literature review. I. Leukemias and myelodysplastic syndromes

We review published epidemiologic studies on personal use of hair dyes and leukemias and myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). A subsequent article will re view studies on lymphomas and multiple myeloma. A computerized literature s earch for the years 1966 through 1996 was completed using MEDLINE. Data wer e extracted using a standardized form that recorded study design, study pop ulation, type of cases, comparison group, sources of data on personal expos ure to hair dyes, method of data collection, type of exposure data collecte d, covariates, and results. The above search identified 13 epidemiologic st udies on the possible association between personal use of hair dyes and leu kemias and MDS. Although there are some reports of positive associations, o verall the evidence linking personal use of hair dyes to various leukemia a nd MDS subgroups is weak. One cannot definitively rule out an association, however, because of the methodologic limitations, such as small numbers of exposed cases and lack of detailed exposure information. Any further resear ch would need much better assessment of hair dye use, including product typ e color frequency, duration, and changes in use over time, and adequate sta tistical power.