FDA May Ban These Hair Straighteners Over Cancer Concerns

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2 years ago

October 23, 2023

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Share on Pinterest Catherine Falls Commercial/Getty ImagesThe FDA may ban hair straightening products that contain formaldehyde. Formaldehyde, a colorless compound, is a known human carcinogen.The FDA proposed a rule that, if approved, would ban formaldehyde-based hair products as soon as April 2024.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) may soon ban hair straightening products that contain or emit formaldehyde.

Formaldehyde, a colorless compound thats commonly used in germicides and disinfectants, is a known human carcinogen, meaning it has the potential to cause cancer.

Certain hair smoothing products release formaldehyde gas into the air when heated, which can lead to both short and long-term adverse health effects, including respiratory issues, asthma, and cancer, according to the FDA.

The FDA proposed a rule that, if approved, would ban formaldehyde-based hair products as soon as April 2024.

This proposed rule would ban formaldehyde (FA) and other FA-releasing chemicals (e.g., methylene glycol) as an ingredient in hair smoothing or hair straightening products marketed in the United States, the FDA states.

According to Bunick, the FDA banning these products would be a major achievement in keeping consumers safe from carcinogens used in over-the-counter products.

I sincerely hope lawmakers in Congress continue to fight for improved quality control in the manufacturing of over the counter personal care products, he said. What are the health risks of using products with formaldehyde?

Certain hair straightening or smoothing products release formaldehyde when they are applied to the hair then processed and sealed by using a heat treatment.

The heat releases formaldehyde as a gas, explained Michael T. Kleinman, a professor of environmental toxicology at University of California, Irvine.

If the salon is not properly ventilated, the salon professionals and customers run the risk of inhaling these harmful fumes, according to the FDA.

In the short-term, formaldehyde exposure can lead to irritation of skin and airway membranes, which can trigger asthmatic reactions and other breathing problems, says Kleinman.

The greater the exposure, in regards to both concentration and duration, the higher the health risks, the FDA warns.

Long-term use of formaldehyde-based products is linked to a higher risk of uterine, ovarian, and breast cancers.

In workers with high levels of exposure, formaldehyde is associated with myeloid leukemia and cancers of the paranasal sinuses, nasal cavity, and nasopharynx, Kleinman added.

The health risks are greatest among Black women due to higher use of these products, evidence consistently shows.

For example, one study published in 2021 found that 3% of non-Hispanic white women reported hair straightener use during adolescence compared to 75% of Black women, Kleinman highlighted.

Meanwhile, frequent use of straighteners, relaxers or pressing products in the past year at least four times a year is associated with a significantly increased risk of ovarian cancer, research shows.

There is evidence that products containing these chemicals are disproportionately found in hair care products marketed to Black women, which wrongly reinforces health care disparities, says Dr. Christopher Bunick, MD, PhD, a Yale Medicine dermatologist.

For years, evidence has been building demonstrating the harms of formaldehyde-releasing hair products.

There is more scientific evidence connecting the use of formaldehyde and formaldehyde-releasing chemicals with cancer, in particular uterine cancer as well as breast cancer, says Bunick. How to determine if your hair products release formaldehyde

Per guidance from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), any product that contains or is capable of releasing formaldehyde needs to say so on its packaging.

To identify products with formaldehyde-related chemicals, look for the ingredients formaldehyde, methylene glycol, and formalin.

Consumers can immediately evaluate their products in the store before purchase, and avoid those products with formaldehyde or formaldehyde-releasing chemicals, says Bunick.

Sometimes formaldehyde isnt explicitly listed on the packaging label, and, in certain circumstances, there may be other chemicals that, when heated, can release the carcinogen.

For example, chemicals that are synonyms for formaldehyde include formalin, methanal, methanediol, or formaldehyde monohydrate, according to the OSHA.

Chemicals that release formaldehyde when heated include, but are not limited to, timonacic acid, dimethoxymethane, or decamethyl-cyclopentasiloxane.

More examples can be found here.

You can also ask your salon professional if the products they use contain formaldehyde or if theres an ingredient list you can look at.

Many salons have alternative hair smoothing products that dont release formaldehyde when heated.

More research is needed to understand which products may be harmful personal care products should help, not harm, people, says Bunick.

There is an important movement in medicine today to make sure all people, regardless of skin color, race, or ethnicity have equal access to timely and quality health care, he said. The bottom line:

The Food and Drug Administration may soon ban hair straightening products that contain or emit formaldehyde. Some hair smoothing products release formaldehyde gas into the air when heated, which can lead to both short and long-term adverse health effects, including respiratory issues, asthma, and cancer. If approved, the proposed rule would ban formaldehyde-based hair products as soon as April 2024.

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Israel attacks Syrian military HQ – and disrupts live TV broadcast

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1 min ago

July 16, 2025

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Israel attacks Syrian military HQ - and disrupts live TV broadcast

Israeli airstrikes have targeted the Syrian military headquarters in Damascus amid renewed clashes in the country.

The gate of the Ministry of Defence in the Syrian capital was targeted by two warning missiles from an Israeli reconnaissance aircraft.

State-owned Elekhbariya TV said the Israeli strike had wounded two civilians, the Reuters news agency reported.

It came as Israeli airstrikes targeted security and army vehicles in the southern city of Sweida, where the Druze faith is one of the major religious groups – marking the third consecutive day Israel has struck Syrian forces.

The Israeli military confirmed it had “struck the entrance gate” in Damascus – and that it would be monitoring “actions being taken against Druze civilians in southern Syria”.

Why Israel is getting involved in Syria’s internal fighting

Dominic Waghorn

International affairs editor

@DominicWaghorn

Israel has shown little respect for international borders since becoming the unrivalled military hegemon of the Middle East. Today that meant an Israeli airstrike on a government building in Damascus.

Israel says its attack on a Syrian defence ministry facility was intended as a warning to the new government: stay out of the part of southern Syria we have occupied or else.

Israel has moved into parts of the south of the country, built military bases and declared a line of control.

On Monday, Syrian tanks heading south to try and restore order following an outbreak of factional fighting were attacked by Israeli warplanes.

“The presence of such vehicles in southern Syria could pose a threat to Israel,” stated the Israel Defence Forces.

In reality, Syria’s ageing tanks pose minimal threat to Israel’s state-of-the art military.

Read the full analysis

Local media said Sweida and nearby villages were coming under heavy artillery and mortar fire on Wednesday, according to Reuters.

The clashes marked the collapse of a ceasefire between Syrian government forces and Druze armed groups, with Israel also warning it would increase its involvement.

Israel said it was acting to protect the Druze groups through its attacks on convoys of Syrian forces.

Syria blamed militias in Sweida for violating a ceasefire agreement which had only been reached on Tuesday.

A statement from its defence ministry said: “Military forces continue to respond to the source of fire inside the city of Sweida, while adhering to rules of engagement to protect residents, prevent harm, and ensure the safe return of those who left the city back to their homes.”

Israel’s defence minister Israel Katz said the military will continue to strike Syrian forces until they withdraw and should “leave Druze alone”, according to local reports.

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Why Israel is getting involved in Syria’s internal fighting

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1 min ago

July 16, 2025

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Why Israel is getting involved in Syria's internal fighting

Israel says its attack on a Syrian defence ministry facility was intended as a warning to the new government: stay out of the part of southern Syria we have occupied or else.

Israel has moved into parts of the south of the country, built military bases and declared a line of control.

On Monday, Syrian tanks heading south to try and restore order following an outbreak of factional fighting were attacked by Israeli warplanes.

“The presence of such vehicles in southern Syria could pose a threat to Israel,” stated the Israel Defence Forces.

In reality, Syria’s ageing tanks pose minimal threat to Israel’s state-of-the art military.

The Syrian armour was attacked as it entered the area around Sweida in the Druze heartland of southern Syria following factional fighting there.

The flare-up reportedly began with clashes between Bedouin and Druze groups that ended in scores killed.

The background to the escalation is complicated.

At least three Druze militia groups are divided in their loyalties to different religious leaders and differ over how they should respond to calls to assimilate into the new post-revolutionary Syria.

Israel is becoming more and more involved in Syria’s internecine war and says it will remain there indefinitely “to protect our communities and thwart any threat”.

Its critics say Israel is operating a policy of divide and rule in Syria, weakening the fledgling government and creating a buffer zone to protect the border with the Golan Heights – originally Syrian territory that it has occupied and annexed for almost half a century.

Since the fall of the Assad regime, Israel has used airstrikes to destroy of much of Syria’s military capability weakening its ability to impose control on outlying regions. This makes it more not less likely Israel will have a volatile unstable state on its northern border.

America and European powers have chosen to normalise relations with the new government in Damascus and lift sanctions.

In contrast Israel has occupied its territory, bombed its military and today hit one of its government buildings in the capital with an airstrike.

Since its crushing military campaigns against Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran, Israel has emerged as the unchallenged military power of the region.

There is however a limit to what blunt force can achieve alone. It requires diplomacy to achieve lasting gains and Israel’s repeated assaults on multiple neighbours combined with its relentless campaign in Gaza are winning it few friends in the region.

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Gaza: At least 19 killed in crowd crush near distribution site, says Israel-backed aid group

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1 min ago

July 16, 2025

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Gaza: At least 19 killed in crowd crush near distribution site, says Israel-backed aid group

At least 20 people have been killed in an incident in Khan Younis, according to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), an Israel and US-backed organisation.

In a statement, it said 19 people were trampled and one was stabbed in a surge “driven by agitators in the crowd”.

“We have credible reason to believe that elements within the crowd – armed and affiliated with Hamas – deliberately fomented the unrest,” it said.

“For the first time since operations began, GHF personnel identified multiple firearms in the crowd, one of which was confiscated. An American worker was also threatened with a firearm by a member of the crowd during the incident.”

It provided no evidence to support the claim.

The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry claimed 21 Palestinians were killed, “including 15 who died of suffocation as a result of tear gas fired at the starving people and the subsequent stampede” at the GHF site.

Read analysis: Deaths go up when aid sites open

The statement is unusual for the GHF, as the controversial group, which has been rejected by the United Nations and other aid groups, rarely acknowledges trouble at its distribution sites.

The GHF began distributing food packages in Gaza at the end of May, after Israel eased its 11-week blockade of aid into the territory.

It has four distribution centres, three of which are in the southern Gaza Strip. The sites, kept off-limits to independent media, are guarded by private security contractors and located in zones where the Israeli military operates.

Analysis: Gazans face unbearable choice of risking their lives for supplies or going hungry

by Lisa Holland, Sky News correspondent in Jerusalem

The United Nations has already condemned the aid centres run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation as “death traps” – and that was before the latest loss of life, seemingly mostly from suffocation.

It’s the first and only time we know of people dying in this way, waiting to get food. Although the Gaza health ministry and the GHF dispute exactly what happened.

But how much longer can this Israeli and American-backed way to supply aid continue when people are dying on a near-daily basis?

However it happened, Gaza’s overcrowded hospitals are once again overwhelmed.

And there are serious questions to answer about the organisation of a system which is supposed to be providing humanitarian aid to desperately hungry people, but instead is a place where there is so much loss of life.

It leaves people with an unbearable choice between risking their lives to get supplies or going hungry.

Palestinian witnesses say Israeli forces have repeatedly opened fire towards crowds of people going to receive aid.

The Israeli military says it has fired warning shots at people who have behaved in what it says is a suspicious manner. It says its forces operate near the aid sites to stop supplies from falling into the hands of militants.

After the deaths of hundreds of Palestinians trying to reach the aid hubs, the UN has called the GHF’s aid model “inherently unsafe” and a violation of humanitarian impartiality standards.

In response, a GHF spokesperson said: “The fact is the most deadly attacks on aid sites have been linked to UN convoys.”

The GHF says it has delivered more than 70 million meals to Gazans in five weeks and claims other humanitarian groups – which refuse to work with the GHF – had “nearly all of their aid looted” by Hamas or criminal gangs.

Since the GHF sites began operating, more than 875 people have been killed while receiving aid, both at GHF distribution points or elsewhere, according to the UN human rights office and the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry.

At least 674 of those have been killed in the vicinity of aid distribution sites run by the GHF.