Two members of the US House of Representatives initially urged the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to investigate the health risks of hair straighteners, which are used primarily by black women, in 2023. Now they are asking the agency why it has twice postponed its planned date for proposing a ban on products containing formaldehyde, which studies have shown to lead to increased cancer rates.
Democratic Reps. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Shontel Brown of Ohio urged the FDA in a letter to finalize the proposed rule banning certain hair straighteners for salon and home use. Rep. Nydia Velazquez of New York joined Pressley and Brown in signing the letter, which is dated Tuesday.
The FDA announced a possible rule for 2023 and initially set April as the target date for publishing the proposal. The date was then pushed back to July and finally to September.
The letter from Pressley, Brown and Velazquez – all of whom are running for re-election this year – asks FDA Commissioner Robert Califf to provide specific reasons for the delay.
Pressley told the Associated Press that one reason black women seek hair straightening treatments is because they face discrimination because of their hair.
“If you Google unprofessional hairstyles for work right now, you’re overwhelmed with images of black women,” said Pressley, who also believes further delay could lead to more health issues for communities of color. “Everything from protective hairstyles, Senegalese twists or braids like I wore for many years, to Afros or locs… I just want everyone to be able to show up fully, authentically, with no regrets, without fear, without discrimination.”
It’s not uncommon for the FDA to have issues on its regulatory agenda for years. For example, a draft of a proposed ban on menthol cigarettes was released in 2022, but the deadline for finalizing the rule was pushed back twice before being postponed indefinitely in April.
When asked about the letter, an FDA spokesperson told AP that officials would respond directly to lawmakers. Last month, the agency said the proposed ban was still one of its top priorities and was in the legislative process, but could not comment to AP on the timing or content of the proposal.
Black women and women of other ethnicities have been using chemical hair straightening treatments for decades, and many of the straighteners, creams and keratin treatments contain formaldehyde – a chemical used in pesticides and to preserve dead bodies.
A 2022 study from the National Institutes of Health found that people who used hair straighteners had an increased risk of developing uterine cancer. A 2023 study from Boston University found that postmenopausal women who used hair straighteners most frequently had a more than 50% increased risk of uterine cancer than women who used them rarely.
Thousands of lawsuits allege that cosmetic companies that make some of the hair straighteners misrepresented the products’ “health effects” and exposed plaintiffs to chemicals that increased the risk of uterine and ovarian cancer. Some also claim they became infertile after using the products.
In an October social media video, the FDA reminded that there is no ban yet and that the agency plans to work with the cosmetics industry to encourage them to develop alternative hair straightening products.
The Associated Press Health and Science section receives support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
