There are hair-straightening products that fall under the heading of keratin-based straighteners; keratin in and of itself is not harmful. Found naturally in healthy hair and nails, it poses no danger.
However, what reportedly gives the treatment its straightening power is not the keratin, but the formaldehyde, and the more it contains, the more powerful and effective the treatment will be. Although most companies say their products contain less than the 2 percent level of formaldehyde considered safe to use, that margin of safety is now in question.
Complicating matters further is the report that many salons are now mixing their own versions, or pumping up the premixed formulas with additional formaldehyde—and this, say experts, is where the real problems may lie.
‘Our investigation into the misleading claims and horror stories of this industry shows that this federal action cannot come soon enough’, Jane Houlihan of the Environmental Working Group recently told CosmeticsDesign.com, the leading cosmetic industry publication.
Last month the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) took a stand to protect workers by issuing a ‘hazard alert’ letter, warning of the dangers of formaldehyde exposure.
This comes on the heels of another made by National Academy of Sciences whose findings upheld those of the Environmental Protection Agency, who determined quite some ago the health dangers linked to formaldehyde exposure, including an increased risk of several cancers.
Hair Products, Not the Only Risk
While formaldehyde in hair products is the current issue on tap—deemed to cause excessive shedding of hair or hair fall, this is not the first time this hazardous chemical has come under fire. Indeed in 2006, nail polish manufacturers buckled to environmental concerns about hazardous chemicals—including formaldehyde—by voluntarily agreeing to remove them.
The California Healthy Nail Salon Collaborative has organized Health Salons Week of Action in Washington, DC. This will include a Tri-Caucus congressional briefing on salon worker health and safety, a roundtable hosted by the EPA and the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and Lobby Days and Hill visits conducted by advocates and salon workers who regularly face chemical challenges from the potentially harmful chemicals—including formaldehyde derivatives—still found in many products.
The ‘fake wood’ furniture industry has also been blamed for the ‘off gassing’ of formaldehyde fumes that result from resins used to make some products—fumes that have been linked in some studies to an increase in childhood asthma, as well as other breathing problems.
What’s interesting to note, however, is that while formaldehyde itself is being blamed for these health concerns, in reality, this chemical is really a gas that can’t be blended with liquids. So the real issue may not be the formaldehyde itself, but rather that of the chemical combinations which result from formaldehyde derivatives.
Currently, six other nations have recalled or banned the use of formaldehyde-based hair straighteners. Under the current law, the FDA may issue a voluntary recall for these products in the United States, but that has yet to happen.
