The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has warned Nigerians against using hair straightening products that contain formaldehyde.

The agency says the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has informed it about the short-term and long-term effects of formaldehyde exposure in hair-softening products.

The alert, No: 006/2021 – Formaldehyde in hair softening products, was signed by the agency’s Director General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, and sent to the Nigerian News Agency (NAN) in Abuja on Monday.

He said that most hair straightening or straightening products release formaldehyde gas, a known human carcinogen, as classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, into the air during hair straightening or straightening.

According to the alert, when formaldehyde is released into the air and present in the air above 0.1 ppm, it can cause severe irritation to the eyes, nose, and lungs.

“It can also cause skin sensitivity or allergic dermatitis,” it said.

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The alert outlined some recommendations for people not to use hair products on their own at home, except that they visited a licensed hair professional at a salon.

He said hair professionals should be trained to take precautions, such as wearing gloves and safety glasses, as well as ensuring adequate ventilation when applying hair straightening products.

According to the statement, hair professionals should read the list of components and add that the US Food and Drug Administration discourages people from purchasing hair straightening products for home use.

“If you are sourcing from a retailer or buying online to use, read the required ingredient list. If there isn’t one, don’t buy the product.

“If the hair straightening product includes one of these ingredient names on the packaging: formaldehyde, formalin, or methylene glycol, it means that the product contains formaldehyde or will release formaldehyde.

“Note that not all hair straightening products contain formaldehyde, so you must read the label to see what is in the product,” urges the alert.

He advised anyone with a bad experience with the hair straightening solution to stop using the product or service and report reactions to the healthcare provider.

He encouraged consumers, hair and healthcare professionals to report adverse events or quality problems experienced with the use of these softening products to the nearest NAFDAC office.

He also encouraged consumers to make use of NAFDAC PRASCOR [20543 or 0800-1-NAFDAC (0800-1-623322) TOLL FREE from all networks] or via [email protected] gov.ng to report any adverse effects.

He said the public could also report through the electronic reporting platform available on the NAFDAC website www.nafdac.gov.ng or through the Med Safety app, available for download from the Android and IOS stores.