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Potential Formaldehyde Exposure Risks for Puerto Rico’s Hair Salon Workers

Zimmetry Environmental provides formaldehyde testing and consulting services to identify and mitigate exposure hazards to this known carcinogen.


Bayamon, Puerto Rico – WEBWIRE

Hair smoothing products that contain formaldehyde may release it at levels above OSHA’s permissible limits during use.

Most workers employed at hair salons in Puerto Rico and across the Caribbean probably don’t think that their jobs could be exposing them to a known carcinogen, but unfortunately for some, it could be the case.
 
A few years ago, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) began investigating questions and complaints from hair salon owners and workers about possible formaldehyde exposure from hair smoothing products. OSHA conducted air sampling at multiple salons and found formaldehyde in the air when stylists were using certain hair smoothing products. The agency reported that some of these products were labeled “formaldehyde free” or did not list formaldehyde on the product label or in the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS).
 
Hair smoothing products that contain formaldehyde may release it at levels above OSHA’s permissible limits during use. This could pose health risks to salon workers. Salons and other employers, such as beauty schools, that use hair smoothing products that contain or may release formaldehyde must follow the requirements in OSHA’s formaldehyde and hazard communication standards.
 
“Employees of hair salons and students at beauty schools that use hair smoothing products need to be aware of the risks of breathing formaldehyde or getting it on their skin,” said Harry Pena, President of Zimmetry Environmental. “The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classifies formaldehyde as a human carcinogen. Exposure can also cause eye irritation and damage; nose irritation; skin sensitivity, rashes and itching; and breathing difficulties.”
 
Helping to identify environments with high levels of formaldehyde and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are the indoor air quality (IAQ) experts at Zimmetry Environmental. Their professionals can test the indoor environment for formaldehyde and make recommendations to address any IAQ issues found. Zimmetry has also recently sponsored an educational video about hair salons and formaldehyde exposure risks that can be seen at: https://youtu.be/aFCraXk3AiM
 
To learn more about Zimmetry’s formaldehyde, indoor air quality, environmental, occupational, or compliance testing and consulting services, please visit www.zimmetry.com, call (787) 995.0005 or email info@zimmetry.com .
 
About Zimmetry Environmental
Since 2002, Zimmetry Environmental has been providing environmental consulting services to building owners and managers, architects, engineers, EHS professionals and Fortune 500 companies.  The company is based in Puerto Rico and provides services across the Caribbean and Central America.  The professionals at Zimmetry offer environmental compliance, indoor air quality, asbestos, lead-based paint, Phase I ESAs and general environmental consulting services.
 


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 Hair Salon
 Formaldehyde
 Air Testing
 Indoor Air Quality
 EHS


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