From: OSHA

In November, OSHA issued citations and fines to two salons for failing to implement precautions to protect workers from exposure to formaldehyde when using certain hair-smoothing products. Formaldehyde can irritate the eyes and nose; can cause allergic reactions of the skin, eyes and lungs; and is a cancer hazard. Salon owners who decide to use products that may contain or release formaldehyde must follow the requirements of OSHA’s formaldehyde and hazard communication standards to keep workers safe.

“We want to make sure that salon owners are aware that if they use these products, they have to implement protective measures such as air monitoring and training,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Dr. David Michaels. “What is very troubling to the agency is that some of these products clearly expose workers to formaldehyde even when the label states they are ‘formaldehyde free.’”

OSHA continues to respond to complaints and referrals of formaldehyde exposure in salons, beauty schools and manufacturing facilities. To date in calendar year 2011, federal OSHA has issued citations to 23 salon owners and beauty schools in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Florida, Illinois, New York, New Jersey and Ohio, with fines ranging up to $17,500 for failing to protect workers from overexposure and potential exposure to formaldehyde.

Click on the links for more information.

From pr-usa.net: OSHA issues a hazard about potential formaldehyde exposure when using hair smoothing products.

Federal OSHA yesterday released a hazard alert to hair salon owners and workers nationwide about potential formaldehyde exposure when using hair smoothing products. OSHA regulates formaldehyde as a cancer causing substance, and formaldehyde is listed as a chemical known to the State of California to cause cancer (Prop 65 List). Formaldehyde also irritates the skin, eyes, throat and respiratory system, and can cause asthma and skin and respiratory sensitization.

This hazard alert was the result of investigative work done by Cal/OSHA, Oregon OSHA, and federal OSHA into hair-styling products, some of which are labeled as formaldehyde- free. Some of these products are imported from Brazil and distributed in the U.S. by companies including GIB LLC, which does business under the name “Brazilian Blowout.” Cal/OSHA is also cooperating with other state agencies to ensure that consumers and the public are protected from these health hazards.

Cal/OSHA’s testing of Brazilian Blowout’s Acai Professional Smoothing and Brazilian Blowout Professional Solutions found that formaldehyde is present in these products, and testing performed by federal OSHA found that use of these products caused workers to be overexposed to formaldehyde in the air they were breathing.

Federal OSHA has issued a hazard alert to hair salon owners and workers about potential formaldehyde exposures from working with some hair smoothing and straightening products.  If salon owners in California continue to use a hair product containing formaldehyde, they are required to follow Cal/OSHA’s formaldehyde standard, which includes periodic monitoring of exposure, implementation of a respiratory protection program and employee training.

We will keep you informed if any regulatory changes result due to this alert.

From EWG

US Congress, at the request of industry, has managed to delay efforts by the federal Environmental Protection Agency to classify formaldehyde as a known human carcinogen.

On April 8, 2011, the National Academies of Science’s National Research Council (NRC) completed its independent review of EPA’s draft assessment and confirmed formaldehyde as a known cause of cancer of the nose, nasal cavity and throat. However, a final assessment by EPA will likely see further delay as the NRC concluded it “needs substantial revisions”.

Formaldehyde is used in a vast array of industrial and consumer products, and there is widespread agreement that consumer exposures must be reduced to protect health.

Click on the link for more information.

From: Health Canada

Health Canada is warning Canadians that Brazilian Blowout Solution manufactured by Brazilian Blowout of California…which is known to be available at salons across Canada…has been found to contain unacceptable levels of formaldehyde.

Health Canada has received complaints of burning eyes, nose, and throat, breathing difficulties, and one report of hair loss associated with use of the product.

Testing conducted by Health Canada found that the Brazilian Blowout Solution contains 12% formaldehyde.  Formaldehyde is permitted in cosmetics at less than 0.2% when used as a preservative.  Formaldehyde is a known irritant, sensitizer, and is linked to cancer in humans when inhaled chronically over a long period of time.  Health Canada believes that the reactions are being caused by formaldehyde becoming aerosolized during the blow drying and flat ironing stages of the treatment.

Click on the links for more information.

Relevant Nexreg Compliance Links: CCCR compliance, WHMIS MSDS authoring, MSDS authoring

From: PropelMG.

Formaldehyde is “probably human carcinogen,” according to the EPA, and it’s labeled a “known human carcinogen” by other agencies…Besides being a carcinogen, formaldehyde is also a “VOC,” or volatile organic compound.

Formaldehyde is widely used in glues and adhesives; it’s a preservative in paints and finishes too.  It’s also found in many manufactured products like insulation and some sheetgoods, cabinets, and furniture, especially if they use medium-density fiberboard, particleboard, and plywood.

In July, 2010, President Obama signed a new law that limits formaldehyde levels in wood, and it’s remarkable because it will affect the types and cost of cabinets available to anyone who builds or remodels houses.  The law will be phased in (with the EPA writing implementation laws), but this is a clear trend to limit and eventually eliminate formaldehyde in building products, as far as possible.

To learn more about how this new law may affect your product, please click on the above link.

Relevant Nexreg Compliance Links: CPSC compliance, OSHA MSDS authoring, MSDS authoring

From Furniture Today:

Furniture industry officials in California are still pushing for an extension of the deadline to sell products that don’t meet the state’s strict new limits for formaldehyde emissions. California’s law – which the U.S. Senate is considering as a model for a possible national formaldehyde rule – is in the early stages in enforcement. The regulation sets caps on emissions allowed from composite panel products, including hardwood plywood, particleboard and medium density fiberboard (MDF), materials that are commonly used in furniture.

Ernie Montano, vice president of Del Valle, Kahman and Co., an importer and distributor of composite panel, said his customers have been boycotting the purchase of uncertified board and many now only want Phase II certified stock, even though the rule is still only in its Phase I period. Montano said the company has written off hundreds of thousands of dollars in obsolete inventory and has $1.2 million in Phase I stock that it can’t sell.

Meanwhile, the Western Home Furnishings Assn. is working with other groups in California to extend the rule’s sell-through dates for finished goods, including furniture, by one year to July 1, 2011, said Sharron Bradley, executive director of the WHFA…

We will keep you informed of any regulatory changes.

Relevant Nexreg Compliance Links: CPSC compliance, OSHA MSDS authoring

From the Star Gazette:

U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Mike Crapo (R-ID) today introduced bipartisan legislation to protect consumers by establishing national health standards for formaldehyde in composite wood products, which would apply to both domestic products and foreign imports.

Formaldehyde is a chemical that is used in many products as an adhesive, bonding agent or solvent.  Most composite wood (made from wood pieces, particles or fibers bonded together with resin) contains some formaldehyde.   Composite wood is used in common household products such as furniture, cabinets, shelving, countertops, flooring and molding.

The Formaldehyde Standards for Composite Wood Act would establish national emission standards under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) for formaldehyde in new composite wood products (secondhand products and antiques are exempted)

The standards would match those recently adopted by the California Air Resources Board (CARB).  The California standards are being phased in over a three-year period and apply to the sale of new particleboard, medium-density fiberboard and hardwood plywood, as well as any products containing these materials.

Under the proposed federal legislation, by January 1, 2012, these products sold in the U.S. would have to meet a formaldehyde emission standards of about 0.09 parts per million.  Collectively, these would be the toughest standards in the world.

Click on the links for more information.

Relevant Nexreg Compliance Links: CPSC compliance, OSHA MSDS authoring, MSDS authoring