Proposed ban that Followed by the Pressley-Brown investigationwas postponed twice
Letter text (PDF)
BOSTON – Today, Congressmen Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) and Shontel Brown (D-OH) has sent a letter to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requesting an update on delays in implementing a rule banning formaldehyde and other formaldehyde-releasing chemicals in hair products. The FDA’s proposed ban, which follows a March 2023 letter from Reps. Pressley and Brown calling for an investigation into the health risks posed by chemical hair straighteners, has been delayed twice since April 2024.
“Prolonged exposure to formaldehyde during these treatments is associated with increased rates of cancer, respiratory diseases and negative effects on reproductive health,” wrote the legislator“Of particular concern is the disproportionate impact on women of color, who are more likely to use these products and thus face increased health risks.”
Although formaldehyde is considered a known carcinogen, it is commonly used in hair relaxers and other chemical hair straighteners. Formaldehyde exposure has been linked to serious diseases, including myeloid leukemia, breast cancer, uterine cancer and ovarian cancer. Research has found that those who used a hair relaxer at least every five to eight weeks had a 31 percent higher risk of breast cancer, compared to 18 percent for less frequent use.
These chemicals pose a disproportionate risk to black women and other women of color. Research shows that about 50 percent of products advertised to black women contain these types of chemicals, compared to about 7 percent of products advertised to white women.
In October 2023, the FDA proposed a ban on formaldehyde in hair products after Reps. Pressley and Brown wrote a letter urging the agency to investigate the health risks associated with the chemical. Unfortunately, there have been no further steps or progress in implementing the ban since April 2024.
In the letter, lawmakers ask the FDA for information on the reasons for the delay and the timeline for final adoption of the ban.
“As FDA works to address these urgent issues, it is important to continue to highlight the seriousness of formaldehyde exposure, as demonstrated by both epidemiological data and laboratory studies,” the legislator continued“The goal remains to ensure that regulatory actions are in the best interests of public health and we look forward to your timely response.”
Specifically, lawmakers asked the FDA to answer the following questions:
- What factors have contributed to the two delays in implementing the ban, and are there clear timelines or milestones for the future that stakeholders can rely on before and after the ban proposal is published?
- Does the FDA share any concerns that delaying its rulemaking may prolong the dangerous health effects of formaldehyde use in communities of color?
- What steps has the agency taken to reach out to stakeholders to proactively mitigate disruption to businesses and ensure they are prepared when a ban officially goes into effect?
Click here for a full copy of the letter.
Congresswoman Pressley is a tireless advocate for Black women’s health, ending racial discrimination based on hair, and introducing policies that affirm Black women’s right to show the world their full, authentic selves.
- Rep. Pressley is one of the lead sponsors of the Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair (CROWN) Act, a bill along with Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12), Gwen Moore (WI-04), Barbara Lee (CA-13) and Ilhan Omar (MN-05) that would prohibit discrimination based on hair textures and hairstyles commonly associated with a particular race or nationality.
- In June, Representatives Pressley and Jim McGovern (MA-02) led their colleagues in reintroducing the Wigs as Durable Medical Equipment Act, which would help people with alopecia areata and cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy by making medical wigs and other head coverings covered by the Medicare program.
- In May, Representatives Pressley, Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12) and Jennifer McClellan (VA-04) introduced the Recognition of Traction Alopecia in Service Women Act of 2023 to support military members with traction alopecia.
- In April, Rep. Pressley reintroduced the Anti-Racism in Public Health Act, a bicameral bill that would declare structural racism a public health crisis and address its impacts on public health through two bold new programs within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Rep. Pressley originally introduced the bill in September 2020.
- In 2020, the House of Representatives passed an amendment introduced by Congresswoman Pressley that provides $5 million to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases of the National Institutes of Health to fund research into the causes, effects, and possible treatments of alopecia areata.
- In December 2019, Rep. Pressley and her colleagues sent a letter to Johnson & Johnson Chairman and CEO Alex Gorsky requesting information about the targeted marketing and sale of the company’s talc-based baby powder and its potential risk of asbestos contamination, particularly to women, teenage girls and people of color.
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