worst hair-raising performance: formaldehyde
Formaldehyde is a classic performer, much lauded by other bad actors for her tour de force performances. Lest her reputation precede her, Formaldaheyde has shown that she still has the goods to deliver toxins around the world. Used for 150 years in embalming fluid, adhesive, fungicide, germicide and disinfectant, she has turned what should have been the twilight of her career into a resurgence. She has been tapped to appear in many common products, including particle board used for certain cribs and changing tables, paints, cleaning supplies, and some beauty products in which she shines as a member of the “Toxic Trio”. Depending on her specific role, Formaldehyde is an acting chameleon, having been linked to asthma and various types of cancers. A true veteran, her name has long graced California’s Proposition 65 List.
- In 2011, Formaldehyde was added to the “Minnesota Priority Chemicals List” because it is known to be a carcinogen that is a high production chemical, and is also found in the human body, the home and/or the environment.
- In August 2010, Procter & Gamble Co. pulled Brazilian Blowout products from its Frédéric Fekkai salons after the company’s own tests showed they contained formaldehyde. In October, the Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division found average formaldehyde levels of 8% or more in two products in the Brazilian Blowout line—far exceeding the agency’s 0.1% threshold for disclosure of the ingredient.
- And the California Attorney General’s office filed a lawsuit in November, alleging that the company that makes Brazilian Blowout failed to warn consumers that its solution contains formaldehyde, despite the company claiming the product to be “formaldehyde-free.”
- As of 2009, CARB (CA Air Resources Board) has been requiring wood product manufacturers to meet new, stringent formaldehyde emission standards for hardwood plywood, particleboard, and medium density fiberboard panels. A federal law passed in 2010 limits the allowable amount of formaldehyde emissions from these same wood products to .09 ppm, a standard which companies will have to meet by January, 2013
Learn more at Healthy Legacy and Environment CA.
Actor: Vivia Thi. Photo by: Francisco Cortinas, Patricia Mateos Ballestero
