PETITION CLOSED

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Tell OSHA to regulate formaldehyde in hair products
  1. Signatures
    509 out of 1,000
    Petitioning
    1. Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health (Dr. David Michaels)
  2. Created By
    Sarah Newman
    Los Angeles, CA
About this Petition Petition Letter Petition Updates

Researchers at the Center for Research in Occupational and Environmental Toxicology (CROET) at the Oregon Health Sciences University (OHSU) recently found formaldehyde in Keratin-based treatments (commonly known as Brazilian Blowout Solutions). These products, used to straighten hair never had formaldehyde listed in its ingredients and and one package even claimed to be formaldehyde-free.  Formaldehyde is a known caricogen, linked to nasal and lung cancer and possibly brain cancer and leukemia.

 

Thousands of salon employees are regularly exposed to this toxin, risking their own health and safety. Tell the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) to treat them as formaldehyde-containing products and to follow the requirements of the OSHA Formaldehyde Standard for workers exposed to formaldehyde.

 

 

Recent Signatures

Regulate Formaldehyde in Hair Products

Dear Dr. Michaels,

I'm a citizen who is concerned about recent reports identifying formaldehyde in Keratin-based solutions, commonly known as Brazilian Blowout Solutions. Researchers at the Center for Research in Occupational and Environmental Toxicology (CROET) at the Oregon Health Sciences University (OHSU) found that the products contained formaldehyde even though it wasn't a listed t ingredients and one bottled claimed to be formaldehyde-free.

The researchers found formaldehyde in all five tested samples at above regulated levels (ranging between 6.3 to 10.6 percent). The bottled labeled formaldehyde-free was found to be approximately 8.5 percent formaldehyde. Their air monitoring tests found short-term exposures ranging between 0.11 for one stylist to a high of 1.88 ppm for another.

Formaldehyde is a known carcinogen. Thousands of salon employees are regularly exposed to this chemical without the proper OSHA protections. I urge you to treat these as formaldehyde-containing products and the requirements of the OSHA Formaldehyde Standard and state OSHA laws.

[Your name]

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