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| Dying hair at home may be a risk, experts say. |
In England, one woman was in a coma after a suspected anaphylactic allergic reaction to a L’Oreal Preference home hair dye, with an 8% chance of survival and another woman died after having used a home hair dye kit 20 minutes before.
The cases are being investigated to determine the exact cause, but experts suspect a chemical ingredient called p-Phenylenediamine (PPD), an organic compound used in over 99% of all permanent hair dyes, as well as in a variety of other applications.
As a known irritant, PPD allergies have the potential to affect 1.5% of the population.
An article in the British Medical Journal in 2007 called for more investigation into the safety of hair dyes after an increase in allergic reactions in recent years.
PPD is so popular in permanent hair products because it is so effective in covering up grey hair, and there are no approved alternatives.
The manufacturers warn consumers to test the hair dye on the skin at least 48 hours before using the application, but experts warn that a skin allergy test is neither conclusive nor infallible.
Source: The Guardian
Get rid of airborne chemicals
Coloring their hair at home is just one way that people introduce potentially dangerous chemicals into their home. Dry cleaned clothes, commercial cleaning products, scented “air fresheners” and many other commonly used household items can contribute to poor indoor air quality.
AllerAir has designed general purpose and specialty air purifiers with many pounds of activated carbon plus HEPA filtration to remove the widest range of indoor air pollutants possible.
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