Congresswomen press FDA on why a proposal to ban hair-straightening chemicals is delayed

AP Health Writer

Two U.S. House members who first pushed the Food and Drug Administration in 2023 to investigate the health risks of hair straighteners used primarily by Black women are asking the agency why it has twice delayed its target date to propose a ban on products containing formaldehyde. Democratic Reps. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Shontel Brown of Ohio pressed the FDA to finalize the proposed rule soon. The target date has been pushed back to September. Rep. Nydia Velázquez of New York joined Pressley and Brown in spearheading the letter. It isn’t uncommon for the FDA to have items on the regulatory agenda for years. Research has liked formaldehyde in hair-straightening products to increase rates of cancer.