Eideard

“Suffer for beauty” has been taken to a whole new level with recent controversy surrounding a trendy hair treatment called the Brazilian Blowout. The product, used in pricey salons, turns frizzy, unmanageable locks into the luxurious pin-straight looks made popular by celebrities like Jennifer Aniston and Gwyneth Paltrow.

The catch? Tests conducted by the state of Oregon earlier this month determined that the product contains unsafe levels of formaldehyde — as in, embalming fluid — a known carcinogen.

But that’s not deterring some from the pursuit of fabulous wash-and-wear locks…

Introduced at salons a few years ago, the Brazilian Blowout costs about $250. But after the two-hour treatment — which involves coating the hair with the chemical, then flat-ironing it — coarse, kinky hair becomes soft, smooth and straight for two to three months. Sort of an anti-perm, the Brazilian Blowout has been touted as more effective and less time-consuming than other hair-straightening methods such as conventional relaxers, Japanese thermal processing or other keratin-based treatments (there are several available), although concerns have been raised about the product’s possible formaldehyde content in the past, when Allure magazine did an exposé.

These concerns soon dissipated, though, once the company reformulated the products and began distributing bottles labeled “formaldehyde-free.”

Earlier this month, though, Oregon Health & Science University issued two public alerts after tests performed by the state’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration found up to 10.6 percent formaldehyde in the product…

Brazilian Blowout disputes the finding. “We have no formaldehyde in our formula,” spokesperson Dana Supnick said.

In other tests a couple of weeks ago, Canada’s health department found up to 12 percent formaldehyde and warned people to stop using it, citing consumer complaints of “burning eyes, nose, and throat, breathing difficulties, and one report of hair loss associated with use of the product…”

Health complaints from stylists who’ve performed the Brazilian Blowout on clients have prompted at least one class action lawsuit against the manufacturer.

I defer to my lovely wife on the decision. We both side with science on a great deal of decision-making; though, you would hope that questions of style and appearance wouldn’t fit into that category.

When she made the decision that coloring her hair wasn’t conducive to living a long and healthy life, she came to the parallel conclusion that continuing to straighten her naturally [and very] curly locks should drop by the wayside, too. I think her hair is more gorgeous than ever and I believe she’s come round to that opinion, as well.

A growing body of research is linking five chemicals — among the most common in the world — to a host of ailments, including cancer, sexual problems and behavioral issues.

We encounter them every day — in plastic bottles, storage containers, food wrap, cans, cookware, appliances, carpets, shower curtains, clothes, personal care products, furniture, television sets, electronics, bedding, cushions and mattresses. In short, every room in almost every house in the United States is likely to contain at least one of these chemicals, many of which did not exist a century ago.

They are bisphenol A, or BPA; phthalates; PFOA; formaldehyde; and polybrominated diphenyl ethers, or PDBEs. Tests reveal most of us now carry them in our bodies, but are they putting our health — and the health of our children — in jeopardy?

RTFA. Please. It has details about where these chemicals are in our world – and what to do about them.

Every week, in the course of producing this blog, editing articles for blogs, I learn of another product with a history of “safety” that has been compromised by increased knowledge and understanding of side effects and decay products, active ingredients that are killing and crippling us.

Coughing fits, watery eyes and burning noses are becoming a common thing in some courtrooms at the new Washington County Justice Center, so much so that a judge has cancelled an upcoming homicide trial.

Ever since Criminal Court Judge Lynn Brown began holding court at the new courthouse on Jackson Boulevard last month, he and other court personnel have been afflicted with allergic reactions — apparently to a chemical in the carpet…

County Mayor George Jaynes said the building checks out as environmentally sound, but there is a chemical that has caused the allergic reactions.

He said the problems are coming from formaldehyde found in the carpet. Formaldehyde is a colorless gas compound that can irritate eyes and the upper respiratory system…

During court Tuesday, Brown said he didn’t want to bring a jury into the building to sit in a trial for a week…

“It appears to be a toxic courthouse,” he said.

Idiots. We have known about problems with unsafe products like formaldehyde in building materials and floor coverings.

Perish the thought some purchasing agent should take sound scientific advice.