Do electromagnetic fields of blow dryers cause cancer?

Dear Dr. Bone: I read that cancer can be caused by the extremely low-frequency magnetic fields produced when using a hair dryer. I blow dry my hair every day. Any thoughts?

– Ellie

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Dear Ellie: When I first read your question I was stumped. However, my sources tell me that the real question concerns the relationship between Extremely Low Frequency Electromagnetic Fields or ELFMFs and cancer. We are surrounded by electromagnetic fields, from power lines to televisions to hair dryers. Many small studies have been done to try to determine if exposure to electromagnetic fields causes cancer. Most are based on interviewing people with cancer and are retrospective, meaning they depend on a person’s recall about the situation. This is not always very accurate.

How ELFMFs might cause cancer may shed light on the association between the two. Electromagnetic fields may cause ionizing radiation which can damage DNA. This is a step in developing cancer. I refer you to a website called www.greenfacts.org to read more about this subject.

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After delving through a number of scientific discussions, arguing both ways, I firmly believe that we don’t know the definitive answer. Only childhood leukemia was found to occur in homes where they were exposed to strong ELFMFs. Adult cancers were not seen in conjunction with ELFMFs in the home, but occasionally with higher exposures at work. Not that I am vain, but I would not give up blow drying my hair out of fear of developing cancer. Just think, going out in the cold with a wet head might cause pneumonia!

Dear Dr. Bone: My girlfriend is undergoing cancer treatments, and she is bald. She has two small children. She is trying to keep her cancer hidden from them and wears a wig all the time. Is it better for her to cover her head when she is around the children or to let them see her and explain what is going on? I am afraid the plan is going to backfire.

– JL, Wellington

Dear JL: When my own children saw me bald for the first time they freaked out. I’d had my first chemotherapy treatment three weeks before and the hair was falling out so fast that a friend offered to buzz the rest off. The children watched. They weren’t sure why I was getting a crew cut. I explained that my breasts had a sickness and that this was part of the way to get better. For them, it was not a matter of fear of death or the horror associated with cancer, it was a matter of embarrassment. None of their friends’ mothers were bald.

They asked me to go put on “fake hair” because they thought I looked “ugly and weird.” Luckily I had purchased a wig for this exact moment. I put it on sideways and backwards and tried to get a laugh out of them. It worked.

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Then I came up with an idea to go swimming. Obviously I could not go into the pool with a wig. We all jumped in together and within a few minutes they were much more comfortable looking at my bald head. Within days they were completely adjusted to how I looked. I only covered my head when I was cold or if I wanted to wear a soft hat or scarf.

My children came to love my bald head. They would rub it and kiss it and it really never bothered them as much as I thought it would.

Children are resilient and able to adapt to a cancer diagnosis in a parent or sibling. If your girlfriend tries to hide her illness, the children find out by accident. That might trigger a traumatic situation. I know of a woman who did not tell her children that she was sick and they found out on the playground when a group of mothers were chatting about it. The kids insisted that nothing was wrong with their mom. When they confronted her, she was not prepared, and had to tell them in an unplanned way. Once you tell them, with good luck they will become accustomed to it. The more you can incorporate the changes in your girlfriend’s appearance into your daily living routine the better it will be for everyone.

Dr. Melanie Bone is a cancer survivor and gynecologist who practices in West Palm Beach. To send questions for her column, go to www.CancerSensibility

Foundation.org or PalmBeachPost.com/health (click on the “ask a question” link). Any questions submitted to Dr. Bone will be considered for her column. You may also visit www.CancerShopUSA.com

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