Researchers at the Kenya Medical Research Institute (Kemri) have discovered formaldehyde, a harmful neurotoxin that can cause brain cancer and impair memory, in hair relaxers widely used in the country. Kemri's toxicology report shows that at least eight hair relaxers are affected. Some 11 different chemicals of concern (COCs) were identified in the eight hair relaxers. The Kemri study is linked to another conducted in the United States and Ghana, which found evidence that the use of certain personal care products (PCPs) and hair products, such as permanent hair dyes and chemical relaxers, increased the risk of breast cancer. When formaldehyde is present in personal care products, people can be exposed through inhalation, ingestion or absorption through the skin," they note.
