Post Title. 09/13/2011
 
The Brazilian Blowout Controversy
As Noted in the Beauty Section of 
 Ebony Magazine's Online Magazine

OSHA issues Hazard Alert The term “Brazilian Blowout” (GIB LLC) is a trademarked brand name for a process to straighten hair. There are several “Brazilian” hair techniques on the market today and The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) along with several State OSHA programs are investigating questions and complaints from salon owners and workers about possible formaldehyde exposure from using Brazilian Blowout and other hair smoothing products.

Stylist and salon owners complaints center around the levels of formaldehyde in the air while using GIB LLC-Brazilian Blowout products. According to the OSHA web site: During one investigation, Federal OSHA's air tests showed formaldehyde at levels greater than OSHA's limits in a salon using Brazilian Blowout Acai Professional Smoothing Solution, even though the product was labeled "formaldehyde-free." In most cases, OSHA found that hair salon owners did not know that a hair smoothing product contained or could expose workers to formaldehyde because manufacturers, importers, and distributers did not include the correct warnings on product information. California OSHA recently found violations at one importer and distributor, GIB LLC dba Brazilian Blowout, that failed to list formaldehyde as a hazardous ingredient on the MSDS provided to downstream users (e.g., salon owners, stylists) for two products: Brazilian Blowout Acai Professional Smoothing Solution and Brazilian Blowout Professional Brazilian Blowout Solution. The MSDS also did not list the health effects from formaldehyde exposure. The MSDS is required to provide users information about the chemicals in a product, the hazards to workers, and how to use a product safely.

Formaldehyde is a colorless, strong-smelling gas that presents a health hazard if workers are exposed. You can be exposed to formaldehyde if you breathe it into your lungs, if it gets into your eyes, or if it is contained in a product that gets onto your skin. You can also be exposed accidentally if you touch your face, eat food, or drink after using a product containing formaldehyde without first washing your hands. It can irritate the eyes and nose, and cause coughing and wheezing. Formaldehyde is a "sensitizer," which means that it can cause allergic reactions of the skin, eyes, and lungs such as asthma-like breathing problems and skin rashes and itching. When formaldehyde is in a product that gets sprayed into the eyes, it can damage the eyes and cause blindness. It is also a cancer hazard that is linked to nose and lung cancer. Formaldehyde is a health hazard, whether in a product or in the air.

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