Âé¶ą´«Ă˝

Lost innocence

By Sylvia Pagán Westphal

6 April 2002

IF YOUR daughter starts puberty early, you might want to check her shampoo. Unbeknown to many parents, a few hair products—especially some marketed to black people—contain small amounts of hormones that could cause premature sexual development in girls.

The evidence that hair products containing oestrogens cause premature puberty is largely circumstantial, and the case is still unproven. But Ella Toombs, acting director for the Office of Cosmetics and Colors at the US Food and Drug Administration, told Âé¶ą´«Ă˝: “No amount [of oestrogen] is considered safe and can be included in an over-the-counter product.”

Under FDA regulations, over-the-counter…

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