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As advocates look to the federal government to help protect people of color from the dangers of potentially cancer-causing ingredients found in chemical hair straighteners, it looks like they will have to wait a little longer.
The FDA, originally looking to propose a ban on formaldehyde in hair care products in April, pushed that date back to July. And now, as NBC News reports, that date has been postponed again – potentially to September, though the agency hasn’t confirmed that timing.
According to a spokesperson for the FDA, “the rulemaking process takes time.”
“Before a proposed rule can be published in the Federal Register for public comment, it must be reviewed and approved within FDA and other parts of the Federal government,” they said in a statement.
But as more is learned about the dangers these products can cause both users and their stylists, the calls for action are growing.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) which is part of the World Health Organization, has determined that formaldehyde is “carcinogenic to humans,” and studies of the use of chemical hair straighteners which are overwhelmingly targeted to the Black community have connected them to certain cancers, including uterine cancer.
Although formaldehyde is not an ingredient in all chemical straighteners, researchers have found that some products contain ingredients that release the dangerous chemical when heated.
Until a ban is passed, the FDA has published a fact sheet warning of the dangers of using hair straightening products containing formaldehyde and related ingredients, and it has shared a consumer complaint website to report bad reactions to products to the organization.
”We look forward to reading a new rule that will protect salon workers and consumers from exposure to formaldehyde in hair-straightening products,” said Melanie Benesh, Vice President of Government Affairs for the Environmental Working Group, which has been lobbying for the FDA to ban formaldehyde in hair products since 2011.