A ban on the use of formaldehyde in hair relaxers has been proposed by the US Food and Drug Administration due to worries about its association with respiratory issues and specific types of cancer.
As of right now, the FDA only advises against using these products, which are primarily used by women of color to straighten their hair.
A greater understanding of the possible risks associated with chemical hair relaxers has been made possible by recent research.
Lead author of a recently published study on the risks of relaxers, Kimberly Bertrand, is an associate professor of medicine at Boston University School of Medicine. “We know that these products are very poorly regulated by the federal government in terms of what goes in there,” Bertrand said. “You cannot tell that an ingredient contains these endocrine disruptors just by looking at the ingredient label. The ingredients listed on the box are fragrance and preservative rather than phthalates and parabens. Women are therefore unaware of what they are exposed to.
Data from the Black Women’s Health Study at Boston University, which started in 1995 and follows the health of 59,000 Black women, was used in that study, according to NBC News. It revealed that postmenopausal Black women who used chemical hair straighteners had an increased risk of uterine cancer.
A different study that was just released in the American Journal of Epidemiology indicated that both current and past hair straightener users had decreased fertility.
A study released last year by the U.S. National Institutes of Health found that women who used hair-straightening chemicals more than four times in the preceding year had a more than twofold increased risk of developing uterine cancer.
It reported that several cosmetics companies, such as Revlon and L’Oréal, have been sued over allegations that their straightening products caused Black women to experience infertility, uterine and breast cancer, and other health problems.
Colorless, flammable, and extremely toxic gas is formaldehyde. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention state that it’s a component of many household products, such as medications and cosmetics.
The U.S. National Cancer Institute says it’s associated with myeloid leukemia.
The FDA has suggested that the ban be implemented in April.
