An article in the October 2007 issue of Allure shocked me to the core. According to the magazine, a new Brazilian hair straightening treatment could be a health hazard. But it hasn’t stopped women from jumping on this beauty bandwagon, or hairstylists from performing the procedure.

The treatment, referred to as escova progressiva in Brazil, promises shiny, voluminous, straight hair – even on colored or damaged hair – for two to three months. Brands in the United States include the Brazilian Keratin Treatment, and the Brazilian Blowout. The procedure, which costs between $150 and $600, is on the menu at salons – large and small – across the country.

Sounds like a beauty breakthrough, right? Far from it, actually - as escova progressiva often contains high concentrations of formaldehyde, a carcinogen (cancer-causing chemical). Even scarier – most customers have no idea what straightening their curls really costs them.

Allure collected samples of some of the most popular treatments on the market, and sent them to an FDA-registered lab for testing. The tests revealed that the formaldehyde concentrations in the samples ranged from 3.4 to 22.1 percent – much higher than the .02 percent that is regarded to be safe by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel (CIR), a group of scientists who assess and set safety standards for cosmetics ingredients.

Most stylists using the treatment said they were taking recommended safety precautions, such as wearing latex gloves, using gas masks, and working under ventilation hoods. Unfortunately these safety measures do little to prevent harmful side effects. During the escova progressive treatment, the solution is painted onto the hair and, using a 450-degree flat iron, the hairdresser seals the formula onto the outer layer of the cuticle. In the process, noxious gases are released that are inhaled by both stylist and customer – and depending on the formaldehyde concentration, the fumes can seriously irritate the eyes and tissues in the nose and throat.

According to Allure, “rumor has it that the process was born when an embalmer in Brazil found that the formaldehyde he used on corpses also straightened their hair. The embalmer allegedly reasoned, ‘Why wouldn’t it work on the living?’ And with a hairstylist, he created a solution thought to have a formaldehyde percentage in the 20s.”

This past March, a 33-year old Brazilian woman died after using escova progressiva, which she applied herself and left on for the four days, the amount of time salons recommend. Experts suspect that when she finally washed it out, the toxic vapors were released and asphyxiated the otherwise healthy woman in the shower.

Many hairdressers claim that the protein keratin is the ingredient that straightens the hair. But an Allure source says “it’s doubtful that the keratin does anything other than provide a good marketing story.” She says, “that it’s really the formaldehyde that makes the treatment work.”

Despite all of these caveats, no health agency has deemed it illegal in the U.S., but that’s because no group approves beauty products before they come to market.

Bottom Line: Do women really want hair that’s to die for?

Sensors Safety Products, Inc of Cary, NC Receives Laboratory Accreditation from AIHA (American Industrial Hygiene Association

Cary, NC-Sensors Safety Products announces that is has been awarded laboratory accreditation by AIHA, American Industrial Hygiene Association. The AIHA is the largest international association serving the needs of accupational and environmental health professionals in corporate, government, labor, and academic institutions.

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As part of its Occupational Exposure to Chemicals in Laboratories regulations, OSHA requires regulated entities to produce a chemical hygiene plan. The basis for the standard is a determination that laboratories typically differ from industrial operations in their use and handling of hazardous chemicals and that a different approach than that found in OSHA's substance-specific health standards is warranted to protect workers.

Executive Summary

This document has been prepared by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to help dry cleaning establishments reduce employee exposures to perchloroethylene (also known as perc, tetrachloroethylene, C2Cl4 or Cl2C=CCl2). The dry cleaning industry has improved the control of perchloroethylene in recent years, and modern dry cleaning equipment involves much lower exposures than older style equipment. However, there is still a need to reduce employee exposure

Washington, DC, January 30, 2007 - The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) is deploying an investigative team to conduct an assessment of today's fatal fuel tank explosion at the Flat Top Little General Store and gas station in Ghent, West Virginia, sixty miles southeast of Charleston.

Media reports indicate that propane gas exploded around 10:45 a.m. this morning. The blast was felt over a mile away. Four fatalities have been reported, including fatal injuries to emergency response personnel. Additional serious injuries have also been reported.