Congresswomen press FDA on why a proposal to ban hair-straightening chemicals is delayed

Two U.S. House members who first pushed the Food and Drug Administration in 2023 to investigate the health risks of hair straighteners used primarily by Black women are now asking the agency why it has twice delayed its target date to propose a ban on products containing formaldehyde, which studies link to increased rates of cancer.

Democratic Reps. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Shontel Brown of Ohio pressed the FDA in a letter to finalize the proposed rule for banning certain salon-grade and at-home hair straighteners. Rep. Nydia Velazquez of New York joined Pressley and Brown in spearheading the letter, which was dated Tuesday.

The FDA gave notice of a possible rule in 2023 with an initial target date to release the proposal in April. That was then moved to July before jumping to September.

The letter from Pressley, Brown and Velazquez — all of whom are up for re-election this year — asks FDA Commissioner Robert Califf to provide specific reasons for the delay.

Pressley told The Associated Press that Black women look to straightening treatments in part because of hair discrimination.

“If you do a Google search right now of unprofessional work hairstyles, you’ll be besieged by images of Black women,” said Pressley, who also believes another delay could cause more health issues for communities of color. “Everything from protective styles, Senegalese twists or braids like I wore for many years, or afros or locs … I just want everyone to be able to show up fully, authentically and unapologetically, without fear and without discrimination.”

It isn’t uncommon for the FDA to have items on the regulatory agenda for years. For example, the draft of a proposed ban on menthol cigarettes came out in 2022, but the target date on finalizing the rule was pushed back twice before it was indefinitely delayed in April.

When asked about the letter, an FDA spokesperson told the AP that agency officials would respond directly to lawmakers. Last month, the agency said the proposed ban was still among its top priorities and in the rulemaking process, but couldn’t comment to the AP on the timing or content of the proposal.

Black women and women of other ethnicities have used chemical hair-straightening treatments for decades, and many of the relaxers, 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 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 relaxers most often had a greater than 50% increased risk of uterine cancer compared to those who seldom used them.

Thousands of lawsuits allege that beauty companies that make some of the hair straighteners misrepresented “health impacts” of the products, and exposed plaintiffs to chemicals that increased the risk of uterine and ovarian cancers. Some also claim they experienced infertility after using the products.

In a social media video from October, the FDA reminded people that no ban was in place yet, and that the agency planned to work with and encourage the cosmetics industry to develop alternative straightening products.

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