A National Research Council panel of scientists concluded last year that there are “inconsistencies in the epidemiologic data” linking formaldehyde to leukemia. But it also said “there is sufficient evidence of a causal association between formaldehyde and cancers of the nose, nasal cavity, and nasopharynx.”
In addition, formaldehyde has been linked to reproductive problems, including miscarriages, in some studies of industrial workers and lab animals.
South African scientists are testing formaldehyde levels in several Brazilian-type hair products, including Brazilian Blowout. Physicians there say they are concerned that young women who become pregnant are exposed for long hours in hair salons.
Unlike factories, many salons have no ventilation or other safety precautions.
“My concern is that the concentration in Brazilian Blowout is too high,” said Dr. Nonhlanhla P. Khumalo, a professor of dermatology at the University of Cape Town and the Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital who is leading the study.
“We know that formaldehyde is associated with abnormal pregnancies in young women. We know that it is associated with malignancies,” Khumalo said. Even without data on formaldehyde levels in salons, “we know that it damages,” she said.
Government vs Brazilian Blowout
The FDA sent a violation letter to GIB about Brazilian Blowout's Acai Professional Smoothing Solution in 2011 after it found methylene glycol, the liquid form of formaldehyde, in samples at concentrations ranging from 8.7 to 10.4 percent.
Saying the product could cause eye, respiratory tract and nervous system disorders, FDA officials told GIB to ensure the product was safe or they would pursue an injunction in federal court and seize the product. However, a year later, the agency has taken no further action against the company, although there is no evidence that the formulation is safe.
FDA spokeswoman Tamara Ward said the agency is still investigating Brazilian Blowout but she couldn’t comment because it is “an open case under review.”
In March 2011, the federal workplace safety agency, OSHA, sent out a worker hazard alert – which is rare for a cosmetic – about hair-smoothing products containing formaldehyde. Investigations found formaldehyde concentrations in salon air that violated federal limits for workplaces.
At one salon, the formaldehyde levels were five times the acceptable amount. At the time, OSHA identified Brazilian Blowout, Cadiveu, Copomon/Coppola and Marcia Teixeira as brands that have some products that could expose people to formaldehyde. Brazilian Blowout Zero doesn't contain the chemical.
The worker safety agency has inspected 55 salons in a dozen states. The highest penalty, $17,500, was levied against a salon in Cleveland, Ohio, involving nine serious citations for exposing workers to excessive levels of formaldehyde from Brazilian Blowout.
The California Attorney General in January obtained a $600,000 judgment against GIB in a settlement that stopped the company from advertising Brazilian Blowout as “formaldehyde free” and required warnings on bottles and in information sheets for workers.
In court documents, GIB argued that it didn't declare formaldehyde in the product because it is not an ingredient. Rather, the product contains a “separate and distinct chemical,” methylene glycol, which when heated, releases formaldehyde. The company also argued that the state hadn't shown irreparable injury or harm.
“As the result of the products' results and the lasting effects of just one sitting, the Brazilian Blowout treatment has become increasingly popular in recent years. With its success, however, GIB has had to contend with larger competitors and baseless litigation,” GIB argued.
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3 Comments
Add CommentThe private sector is sacred, holy, sanctified. The evil, satanic government should never interfere in the relationship between a victim and her company. That would merely encourage victimism among individuals.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisGiven that this religion/ideology controls the US, it then seems logical that it should be legal for the victim to law-abidingly purchase a glock 40 cal, visit the company, and blow the CEO's head off.
Merely an hypothetical for your consideration.
It should shock Americans to hear how little regulation there is over the production and sale of cosmetic products. That the entire burden of proof is on the federal government to prove that certain products are harmful is unacceptable: we need safeguards put in place that require manufacturers to test the safety of their products before they reach the shelves, so consumers and salon workers are not subject to poisonous chemicals. At the very least, the labeling of these products should inform consumers about the risks they take by using them.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWhen companies are expected to regulate themselves, Americans lose. We need standards in place to make sure that corporations—whether they are financial institutions, oil companies, commercial fishing companies, or food production plants—behave responsibly and do not threaten Americans’ lives.
Until customers begin to retaliate in kind against the executives of these evil companies this is unlikely to change. fortunately none of my immediate family have been attacked in such a greedy sociopathic manner as to need to douse an executive in gasoline and light them up. Then again, it is only a matter of time.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAs a side note, be sure to include their pet congress people as well. It helps motivate them to be more honest.