Hair straightening warning: Products could be harmful

April 14th, 2011 - 7:44 pm ICT by Aishwarya Bhatt  

Washington DC, April 14 (THAINDIAN NEWS) The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has warned that straightening the hair with certain products could be harmful to the health.

The warning which was issued on the 11th of April identified the product Brazilian Blowout as one of the brands that have been found to be harmful. The risk has to do with the high level of formaldehyde found in the products. The manufacturers of the products use the chemical to keep the hair straightened.

The problem is that formaldehyde has been identified as a human carcinogen. Most countries have labeled the chemical as a carcinogen and have taken the necessary steps to protect their population.

The Assistant Secretary of OSHA, David Michaels, issued a statement saying that employers and employees of salons deserve to know the risk involved with working with the chemical. Michaels said if the workers get to know the risk involved in working with the product, they would be in a better position to protect themselves.

The challenge however is how the salon workers would get to know what the product they are using contains. Hair product manufacturers are not always required to indicate the ingredients in their products.

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