News and Media

In the Press

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Black Women’s Hair Products Are in the Safety Spotlight. Here’s What to Know
March 26, 2025 - Jasmine McDonald, who has studied the health impacts of chemical hair straighteners, said the Consumer Reports study shouldn’t invoke fear but awareness about the potential harms of braiding hair, the lack of federal regulations, and the minimal research. “I think that in our culture, we sometimes normalize things to the point where we don’t see the harm ... the more that we can raise awareness that some of these cultural routines could potentially cause harm gives us the potential to stop that harm,” McDonald said…McDonald suggested staying away from products that contain PFAS, parabens and other “forever chemicals.” She also said consumers can determine what’s in the products and their relative safety by looking at online databases, like the Breast Cancer Prevention Partners’ Campaign for Safe Cosmetics.

Also picked up by U.S. News & World Report, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, San Francisco Chronicle, among many other outlets.

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN (video podcast)
Science Quickly: What Do Societal Beauty Standards Have to Do with Breast Cancer?
October 23, 2024-- Host Rachel Feltman is joined by Jasmine McDonald, an assistant professor of epidemiology at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, to discuss the disturbing trend of an increase in early-onset breast cancer diagnoses. They explore how chronic exposure to endocrine disruptors could be fueling this rise and examine the surprising role that societal beauty standards may play in shaping these risks. 

NBC NEWS 
Early Puberty May Be Linked to a Common Chemical Used in Personal Care Products
September 10, 2024-- Jasmine McDonald said the new findings “as a first step are great.” A major strength of the study is that it didn’t start with a candidate compound, McDonald said. Instead, the researchers had a biological mechanism in mind and then looked for compounds that might play a role. Based only on this study, it’s too early to consider banning or restricting a compound, McDonald said. But families might cut back on products with strong scents. “If you need a lotion, it can be scent-free,” McDonald said. “In the shower, you can avoid scented body washes and shampoos.” 

LIVE SCIENCE 

Toxic formaldehyde in hair-straightening products to be banned — but experts say it's 'not enough'
April 11, 2024-- The new FDA ban would apply to hair-straightening and -smoothing products, which temporarily straighten hair. Those products aren't to be confused with hair relaxers, which are creamy chemicals used to permanently straighten hair, Jasmine McDonald told Live Science…The new ban on formaldehyde would help make hair-straightening and -smoothing products safer and, especially, make a difference to salon workers who are constantly exposed to the chemical, McDonald said. It may even set a precedent for eliminating other concerning chemicals in other products, such as those used in relaxers and in perms, which texturize straight hair, she said. "I study environmental exposures during critical periods of life," McDonald said. "Some of these habits are started quite young, like pre-puberty, and that impacts your lifelong risk of different chronic conditions." 

ABC NEWS

FDA considers ban on some Black women's hair products that have caused years of harm

October 20, 2023--"Some of the things that we've seen with permanent relaxers is the association with several different types of cancer, including breast and uterine cancer and ovarian cancer," Dr. Jasmine McDonald told ABC News. "The fact of the matter is it's one chemical, and we're exposed to a plethora of chemicals, not just formaldehyde," said McDonald. "So, I think it's a very important ban. But it's just one step that isn't exhaustive to all the other chemicals of concern."

THE NEW YORK TIMES

What to Know About the Health Risks of Chemical Hair Straighteners  
October 17, 2023-- “You’re exposed to many different things in your life course, and perms and relaxers are something you can control your exposure to,” said Jasmine McDonald. To minimize your risk going forward, consider alternative hair straighteners or relaxers, or reduce how frequently you use them, said Dr. McDonald… “The hair journey is a difficult one,” Dr. McDonald said. “But it can be a safer one.”

THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE

Hair relaxers have been linked to cancer among Black women, litigation says. ‘Nobody cares except us.’
August 7, 2023--“The relaxers contain a mixture of carcinogenic chemicals. This could be formaldehyde, this could be things that are hormonal endocrine disruptor chemicals (that interrupt your natural hormonal processes) — that’s phthalates, parabens. It could be the introduction of estrogenic compounds. The idea is that there’s a mixture of chemicals and no chemical works in a silo,”  Jasmine McDonald. 

THE HILL
Who You Are, Where You Live Help Determine Your Chances of Beating Cancer
June 13, 2023 - Breast cancer rates are about equal between white women and Black women, according to Jasmine McDonald. But Black women are more likely to die from the disease.

THE HINDU

Create uproar over lack of clean air to breathe: experts

December 4, 2019 - “It has been shown that PAH is a compound associated with increased breast cancer risk,” said Dr. Jasmine McDonald.