Lawmakers note that women of color are disproportionately put at increased cancer risk from hair relaxers while the formaldehyde ban is delayed.
Exposure to formaldehyde from the Breas Vivo 45 LS ventilators could lead to airway irritation, inflammation, asthma and other side effects.
Formaldehyde health risks have been widely recognized for years, and could directly expose those using hair relaxer to toxic cancer causing chemicals.
L'Oreal, which faces a majority of hair relaxer lawsuits, indicates it welcomes a formaldehyde ban, as it claims none of its products use the chemical.
More than one million Americans face an increased risk of leukemia, head and neck cancers from chronic formaldehyde exposure, according to the EPA.
Other neonatal incubators should still be run for a full week before use to rid the devices of potentially harmful chemicals, FDA regulators said.
FDA decision to ban chemical straighteners that emit formaldehyde comes as thousands of hair relaxer lawsuits are being pursued by women diagnosed with uterine cancer, ovarian cancer and other injuries
Warnings about formaldehyde emissions from GE neonatal incubators were first issued in February 2023, raising concerns over the safety of placing infants in them during stays in hospital NICU wards.
Lawsuit alleges formaldehyde in TRESemme shampoo cause hair loss, burns, scalp irritation and other injuries
Lawsuit alleges L'Oreal and other manufacturers knew about the risk of uterine cancer from hair straightener chemicals, but failed to warn consumers.
