Urgent warning about salon hair treatment carrying an ‘unreasonable’ risk of cancer
Formaldehyde, a chemical found in hair straightening products, poses an “unreasonable risk to human health,” according to an alarming new warning from US health authorities.
In a long-awaited review of the safety of the chemical, which is used in multiple industries from textiles to construction, officials warned that the substance found “almost everywhere” increases the risk of cancer.
Experts have long been concerned about the substance’s presence in chemical hair straightening or relaxing treatments.
These substances, listed under the names formaldehyde, formalin or methylene glycol, relax kinks in the hair by reacting with keratin, the protein from which hair is made.
When At the end of the treatment, heat is applied to the hair (from blow dryers or straighteners) and then formaldehyde gas is emitted into the air.
This colorless gas is then inhaled, which at best causes eye and respiratory irritation and at worst increases the risk of head and neck cancer in the long term.
These risks increase if a room such as a lounge, bathroom or bedroom is poorly ventilated.
The new warning, issued by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), said: ‘Breathing formaldehyde for extended ‘chronic’ periods can reduce lung function and increase asthma and allergy-related diseases and cancer.’
Formaldehyde, a chemical that can be found in hair straightening products, has been declared an “unreasonable risk of harm to human health,” according to US authorities.
Although the EPA did not specifically mention hair products, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has previously done so acknowledged the link between hair straightening products and formaldehyde exposure.
The EPA report documented other potential environmental exposures to formaldehyde, including bedding foam, furniture and toys.
Gas can escape from these objects over time, exposing people to the risks of the chemical.
They also recognized the risk to workers who may use products containing the chemical without proper personal protective equipment.
Although the warning was issued by US authorities, MailOnline has found examples of hair straightening chemicals containing formaldehyde on sale in Britain.
One product, a hair straightening cream, was on sale for £217.
The instructions advised users to apply it to their hair before blow-drying it at a medium temperature and then styling it with a titanium hair straightener set at a temperature between 210-230°C (410-446°F).
The UK Health Security Agency states that formaldehyde is a cancer-causing chemical, and there is evidence that exposure can cause nasal tumors and even blood cancer leukemia.
However, it adds: ‘Low-level exposure resulting from the appropriate use of products containing formaldehyde is not expected to cause adverse health effects.’
Some studies have also linked formaldehyde exposure to an up to 150 percent increased risk of uterine and breast cancer.
A number of European countries have imposed strict limits on the amount of formaldehyde that hair products can contain.