A woman has her hair colored by cosmetologist Nikki Cannon at The Beauty Studios on April 04, 2020 in Glendale, Arizona.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is considering banning the use of formaldehyde in straightening and smoothing hair treatments amid rising concerns over the health dangers of the substance.
The Unified Agenda, a federal register that lists upcoming administrative agency activities, includes information about the FDA's examination of the proposal. There is no clear date for when the agency might formally consider the proposal and, if it were to be accepted when the formaldehyde ban would go into force.
Why is Formaldehyde Dangerous to Women's Health?
Studies suggest that hair straighteners with formaldehyde ingredient could cause uterine cancer. Previous research found that women who use these products had a doubled risk of uterine cancer. The research suggests a link, but experts stress that causality is not proven.
According to the CDC, the uterine cancer risk in women increases with age, especially during and after menopause, according to an ABC News report.
The Boston University's Black Women's Health Study found that postmenopausal black women who used chemical hair straighteners for a long time had a greater risk of uterine cancer. The study, launched in 1995, which examines 59,000 black women, attempts to highlight the risks connected with these products and pinpoint safer substitutes.
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Kimberly Bertrand, the study's principal author, remarked that many of these items include endocrine disruptors that are not adequately controlled and that can enter the body through the scalp. Early puberty, fibroid tumors, infertility, and other health concerns have all been linked to these substances.
"You can't look at an ingredient label and know that it contains these endocrine disruptors. They don't list phthalates and parabens on the box; they say fragrance and preservative. So women don't really know what they're being exposed to," Bertrand said, as quoted by NBC News.
Additional research published in the American Journal of Epidemiology indicated reduced fertility in hair straightener users. The US National Institutes of Health also found that women who used hair-straightening chemicals more than four times in the previous year had a doubled risk of uterine cancer.
Recent cases against Revlon and L'Oréal allege that its straightening products caused uterine and breast cancer, infertility, and other health difficulties among black women.
Black Women Have Higher Risk
The colorless, flammable, and dangerous gas formaldehyde is found in many home products, including pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. The FDA proposed the formaldehyde ban in April in response to rising public concern about these goods' possible health dangers, according to US News & World Report.
Representatives Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Shontel Brown of Ohio sent an open letter months before the FDA's planned prohibition in March. They asked the federal authorities to investigate chemical hair straighteners for carcinogens, possibly increasing uterine cancer risk. The letter noted that Black women commonly use these hair-straightening treatments owing to social pressure and anti-Black hair sentiment.
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