Consumer Health Alert: Hair Straightening Products and Formaldehyde

Details

• Corporate Authors:
  New York State Department of Health
• Description:
  If you are thinking of getting your hair straightened, here is some important information for you to consider. A group of hair straightening products known as "Brazilian Keratin Treatment" (BKT) may contain formaldehyde. Exposure to formaldehyde can cause irritation of the eyes, nose, throat, and skin. People with asthma or other respiratory diseases may be more sensitive than others to the effects of breathing formaldehyde. Formaldehyde is classified as a known human carcinogen (cancer-causing chemical). The amount of formaldehyde exposure you get depends upon the product used, stylist technique, and ventilation in the salon. The hair straightening products that were tested and shown to contain formaldehyde are listed below. There are more than 150 hair straightening products on the market, and we do not know how many others may contain formaldehyde. You can't count on the label. Some products were labeled "formaldehyde-free," "organic" or "natural," but were found to contain formaldehyde when tested. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Cosmetics Formaldehyde Hazardous Substances Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Chemical Hazards Hair Care Products Hair Salons
• Publisher:
  New York State Department of Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Report
• Place as Subject:
  New York ; OSHA Region 2
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-2
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20058811
• Citation:
  Albany, NY: New York State Department of Health, 2011 Jun; :1-2
• Contact Point Address:
  New York State Department of Health, Center for Environmental Health, Flanigan Square, 547 River Street, Room 230, Troy, New York 12180
• CAS Registry Number:
  Formaldehyde (CAS RN 50-00-0)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2011
• Performing Organization:
  New York State Department of Health/Health Research Incorporated
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Consumer health alert: hair straightening products and formaldehyde
• End Date:
  20260630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:39a6f952f89fe8f58153eb9041e44369396960eb26c3b5dbab2b50fde439e34e49d9dd235e7701c2df47949ee5a477e0b5982668c6f336a3672a11070bcbdf15
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/223206/cdc_223206_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 142.02 KB ]