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June 13, 2011

Government Adds Formaldehyde to List of Known Carcinogens 
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The U.S. government has added formaldehyde to a list of known
carcinogens, despite years of lobbying by the chemical industry.
Formaldehyde is a substance found in plastics and often used in plywood,
particle board, mortuaries and hair salons. The decision comes just
months after the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration
warned that a hair-care product, Brazilian Blowout Acai Professional
Smoothing Solution, contained unacceptable levels of formaldehyde, and
salon workers have reported headaches, nosebleeds, burning eyes,
vomiting and asthma attacks after using the product and other
hair-straighteners. The government also said Friday that styrene, which
is used in boats, bathtubs and in disposable foam plastic cups and
plates, may cause cancer. Leading the lobbying effort against labeling
formaldehyde as a carcinogen has been the conservative billionaire Koch
Brothers. Georgia Pacific, a subsidiary of Koch Industries, is one of
the country’s top producers of formaldehyde.



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