Currently, the FDA is contemplating on banning particular hair-straightening/smoothing products due to the main ingredients linking to a variant of health issues.
Details on the Ban
As of late, the Food and Drug Administration is considering banning formaldehyde and similar chemicals in hair-straightening products. The reason for this proposal is due to the fact that these chemicals play a major part in health issues amongst women. Now people may be wondering, “what is formaldehyde?”
Formaldehyde is a colorless, flammable gas that is in a variety of products. This gas is in cosmetics, hair products, glue and paint. This chemical is even in medicine. Now typically when people hear of formaldehyde, they might think of embalming fluid (used by funeral homes). They wouldn’t necessarily think it is in everyday products they use, especially hair relaxers/products. However, some hair products don’t explicitly have formaldehyde as an ingredient but rather similar chemicals that can turn into formaldehyde.
For example, methylene glycol converts to formaldehyde vapors when there’s heat put to it. This chemical is in hair-straightening products. Another extension of formaldehyde is formalin, essentially the chemical dissolved in water, is in selective shampoos, lotions, cleaning products, and even soaps. Even though the FDA generally prevents formaldehyde to be in products, they don’t precisely cover methylene glycol and formalin as ingredients to exclude.
Health Effects
As some may know, hair straighteners/smoothers as particularly marketed to women, especially Black women. This means that the effects of formaldehyde and its other forms largely impacts this demographic. Now this chemical has a mass amount of effects that correlate to both long and short-term health issues. According to the CDC, the gas is extremely toxic and with consistent exposure, it can irritate the lungs, skin, throat, and eyes. It’s also been recognized as a carcinogen, linking to certain cancers such as myeloid leukemia, cancer of the blood and bone marrow.
However, thanks to continuous research over the years, multiple studies have helped raise awareness about the dangers of chemical relaxers/smoothers. A study from the National Institutes of Health says that women who use these chemicals are more likely to develop uterine cancer versus women who don’t. There’s also another study on the subject from Boston University, called the Black Women’s Health Study. This study shows that Black women who have been using straighteners long-term have a higher risk of developing uterine cancer. Especially those who are postmenopausal. Lead author of the study, Kimberly Bertrand, says the purpose of the study is to find safer alternatives. Bertrand herself says that these chemicals disrupt the body’s hormone system. The disruption causes fibroid tumors, early puberty, and infertility.
Consequently, many Black women have been suing numerous hair/cosmetic companies within the past year. Claiming that the use of their products have been the cause of these health issues, among other complications. One woman, Jenny Mitchell, filed a lawsuit against L’Oreal. Their product(s) causing Mitchell to develop uterine cancer and having to undergo a full hysterectomy.
The Stand Against Relaxers
With the controversy and problems stemming from the use of these relaxers, Black women are standing up to these companies. Months earlier, House Representatives Ayanna Pressley and Shontel Brown, were the spark to start the ban on relaxers, writing a letter to the FDA. The two representatives, who are Black women themselves, ask the FDA to investigate the potential harms of hair-straightening products in the letter. Also writing about how Black women have, for a long time, been using these products as a way to advance in the social and economic classes. Further stating, that Black women should be able to wear their hair however without their health paying the price.
Jenny Mitchell, in a statement after filing her claim, says that majority of Black women are first introduced to relaxers at a very young age. “Society has made it a norm to look a certain way, in order to feel a certain way.” she says. Going on to say that she’ll continue to stand up against companies producing these chemical straighteners. Representatives Brown and Pressley are very grateful that the FDA has taken their letter into account and working on it.
If the FDA goes through with the ban, they will be open to receive public comments, review those comments and decipher if further action is needed. The expected date for the ban is April 2024
Written by Saniya Fields
Sources
NBC News – FDA proposes ban on hair relaxers with formaldehyde by Claretta Bellamy
CNN – FDA plans to propose ban on hair-straightening chemical products linked to health risks by Jacqueline Howard and Amanda Musa
USA Today – FDA proposes ban on hair-straightening, smoothing products over cancer-causing chemicals by Emily DeLetter
FOX Business – FDA proposes ban on hair-straightening products with formaldehyde over cancer-causing chemicals by Sarah Rumpf-Whitten
Top and featured image Courtesy of Diueine Monteiro’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inset image Courtesy of AFGE‘s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
