Formaldehyde is a colorless, strong-smelling gas used in making building materials and many household products. It is used in pressed-wood products, such as particleboard, plywood, and fiberboard; glues and adhesives; permanent-press fabrics; paper product coatings; and certain insulation materials.

1. Dangers in Formaldehyde
Hair Straightening Systems
By Denise Jarrett

2. Keratin chemical treatments
Chemical hair straightening works by breaking down those disulfide bonds in curly
hair and resetting them so the hair is straight. This is done in three stages:
relaxing, neutralizing and conditioning.

3. Sulphur atoms
The proteins in your hair
contain sulphur atoms,
which are called sulfides.
When t wo sulfides bond
(called a disulfide bond)
they can create a bend in
the hair fiber. Curly hair
has a large number of
bonded sulfides, while
straight hair has very few.

4. Formaldehyde might be
listed as:
methylene glycol,
formalin,
methylene oxide,
paraform,
formic aldehyde, methanal,
oxomethane,
oxymethylene, or
CAS Number 50-00-0.

5. Formaldehyde
Keratin hair
treatments use
formaldehyde and are
really dangerous to
your health. These are
the steps to the
procedure.

6. Keratin
Gives stylist and the
customer the opportunity to
use stronger chemicals to
break down the sulfide
bonds. Formaldehyde, for
instance, is occasionally
used as an ingredient in the
relaxer. The aggressive
chemicals allow hair to be
straighter for longer .

7. Relaxing
First the bonds need to be broken down.
This is called ‘relaxing’ and is done with
chemicals that contain alkalis.
Alkalis are basic so they denature
proteins, meaning they change the way
proteins fold over onto themselves.

8. Neutralizing
The second step is to restore the pH balance
of the hair.
Since alkalis are basic, an acidic
neutralizer will be put on to stop the
chemical process and keep your hair from
further breakage. At this point, the hair
will be straight, but very delicate.

9. Conditioning
The final step is to apply a conditioner
that will repair the hair damage and
protect your hair from any additional
damage.

10. Dangers to the atmosphere
However; OSHA has
conducted air sampling
at multiple salons and
found formaldehyde in
the air when stylists
were using hair
smoothing products.

11. Stylist exposure
Stylists can inhale
formaldehyde as a gas or vapor
and absorb it through their
skin when they’re applying
liquid hair straighteners.
Exposures can occur during the
entire process, particularly
when heat is applied, such as
blow drying and flat ironing.

12. Short term Exposure
Short-term exposures can irritate the
eyes and nose and cause coughing and
wheezing.
Later exposure may cause severe allergic
reactions of the skin, eyes, and
respiratory tract.

13. Long term Exposure
Long-term exposure to low levels of
formaldehyde in the air or on the skin
can cause asthma-like symptoms and
dermatitis.

14. WHO is at risk!
Formaldehyde can cause allergic reactions with a
single exposure.
The World Health Organization (WHO),
International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC)
classifies formaldehyde as a human carcinogen,
particularly in the nasal cavities.
Formaldehyde exposure is linked to leukemia and lung
cancer.

15. Citations
http:/
/www.orosha.org/pdf/hazards/2993-26.pdf
https:/
/www.osha.gov/SLTC/formaldehyde/
hazard_alert.html
http:/
/www.orosha.org/pdf/
Final_Hair_Smoothing_Report.pdf
http:/
/www.cdc.gov/niosh/hhe/pdfs/
HETA_11-0014_Interim_Letter_for_web.pdf