October 16, 2023 – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is considering banning the usage of chemicals linked to cancer in hair straightening products.
The Suggestion specifies that formaldehyde can be banned, as would other chemicals that release formaldehyde, equivalent to methylene glycol. formaldehyde is a strong-smelling but colorless gas that can also be present in constructing materials, glues and everlasting moldings. It can also be present in cigarette smoke and emissions from gas stoves, in line with the Environmental Protection Agency.
The use of hair straightening products that contain formaldehyde and formaldehyde-releasing chemicals “is associated with short-term adverse health effects, such as sensitization reactions and respiratory problems, as well as long-term adverse health effects, including an increased risk of certain cancers,” the report said Suggestion States.
One study The study, published last 12 months, showed that repeated use of hair straightening products, sometimes called relaxers, can greater than double the danger of uterine cancer. And although this study didn't find that the danger of uterine cancer varies depending on an individual's race, the Researchers noticed that Black women use the products most frequently and are inclined to use them at a younger age in comparison with people of other races and ethnicities.
Hair straightening products have also been linked to an increased risk of cancers that require hormones to grow, equivalent to breast cancer and ovarian cancer.
Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) and Rep. Shontel Brown (D-Ohio) welcomed the proposed rule.
“The FDA’s proposal to ban these harmful chemicals in hair straighteners and relaxers is a win for public health – particularly the health of Black women, who are disproportionately at risk from these products due to systemic racism and anti-Black hair sentiment. Pressley said in one opinion published jointly with Brown. The two congressmen wrote a letter to the FDA earlier this year calling for an investigation into the issue.
“Regardless of how we wear our hair, we should be able to show ourselves in the world without putting our health at risk. “I applaud the FDA for responding to our calls and advancing a rule that will help prevent manufacturers from making profits at the expense of our health,” Pressley said within the statement. “The administration should finalize this rule immediately.”
If the proposed rule moves forward, the FDA will open a public comment period, a spokesman said CNN. There is currently no published timetable for next steps.
More than 250 lawsuits have recently been filed against hair straightener manufacturers in court, with people claiming they suffered health problems, including cancer, after using the products, in line with Reuters reported in July.