Pressley, Brown Urge FDA to Investigate Chemical Hair Straighteners’ Health Risks

Examine demonstrates frequent chemical hair straightening doubled hazard of creating uterine most cancers

Black girls disproportionately at risk

 Text of Letter (PDF)

BOSTON – Nowadays, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) and Congresswoman Shontel Brown (OH-11) urged the Federal Drug Administration (Food and drug administration) to examine whether or not chemical hair straightening items comprise carcinogens and pose a community health threat. Because of to anti-Black hair sentiment, Black girls use these goods at a larger charge to chill out their hair, very likely placing them at a bigger threat of acquiring uterine most cancers and other adverse health and fitness implications.

“As a outcome of anti-Black hair sentiment, Black ladies have been unfairly subjected to scrutiny and pressured to navigate the extraordinary politicization of hair,” the lawmakers wrote. “Manufacturers of chemical straighteners have received massive earnings, but current findings unveil likely considerable detrimental wellness penalties connected with these products and solutions.”

The National Institutes of Overall health not too long ago released investigation on the url involving chemical hair straightening products and a person’s risk of uterine most cancers. Damaging chemical compounds have also been discovered in lots of goods marketed to Black ladies, contributing to countrywide racial well being disparities.

“The amplified chance disproportionately impacts Black females and contributes to nationwide racial wellness disparities. The Food and drug administration has a mandate to evaluate the most up-to-date research and reevaluate the security of these goods,” the lawmakers ongoing. “Consumers have to have to be reassured that the cosmetic solutions they use do not threaten their health and fitness.”

A duplicate of the letter can be located right here.

Congresswoman Pressley has been steadfast in her advocacy for Black women’s wellness, ending race-based hair discrimination, and introducing policies that affirm the proper of Black girls to clearly show up in the entire world as their whole, genuine selves.

Rep. Pressley is a direct co-sponsor of the Building a Respectful and Open Environment for All-natural Hair (CROWN) Act, legislation with Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12), Gwen Moore (WI-04), Barbara Lee (CA-13) and Ilhan Omar (MN-05) that would ban discrimination primarily based on hair textures and hairstyles that are typically connected with a distinct race or national origin.

In 2021, Rep. Pressley and Rep. Jim McGovern (MA-02) led their colleagues in re-introducing the Wigs as Durable Health-related Devices Act, legislation to enable individuals afflicted by Alopecia Areata and sufferers with cancer who are undergoing chemotherapy by letting medical wigs and other head coverings to be included beneath the Medicare system.

In September 2020, Rep. Pressley introduced the Anti-Racism in General public Well being Act, a bicameral bill to declare structural racism a general public overall health disaster and confront its community overall health impacts through two daring new systems in the Facilities for Sickness Handle and Avoidance (CDC). She reintroduced the invoice in 2021.

In 2020, the Property handed an modification introduced by Congresswoman Pressley to provide $5 million pounds for the Countrywide Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Health conditions to fund investigation on the will cause, impacts, and doable solutions of Alopecia areata.

In December 2019, Rep. Pressley and her colleagues sent a letter to Johnson & Johnson Chairman and CEO Alex Gorsky trying to find data on the focused advertising and marketing and sale of the company’s talc-primarily based little one powder and its likely to trigger harm, especially to gals, teenage girls, and people of colour, owing to asbestos contamination. 

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