Heat styling products for hair may produce toxic gases: Study

Love to straighten and curl your hairs It may have health repercussions revealed researchers who studied indoor emissions of volatile organic compounds VOCs including siloxanes which shine and smooth hairVOCs are compounds that have a high vapour pressure and low water solubilityHair products often contain ingredients that easily evaporate so users may inhale some of these chemicals potentially posing health risksIn the study published in the journal Environmental Science amp Technology researchers showed that using these hair care products can change indoor air composition quickly and common heat styling techniques increase VOC levels even moreSome prior studies have examined the amounts of siloxanes released from personal care products But most focused on products that are washed off the body such as skin cleansers which might behave differently from products that are left on the hair like creams or oilsIn addition most previous studies on siloxane emissions havent looked at the realtime rapid changes in indoor air composition that might occur while people are actively styling hairThe team led by Nusrat Jungrsquos Purdue University wanted to fill in the details about VOCs released from hair products especially in realworld scenarios such as small bathrooms where theyre typically appliedThe researchers set up a ventilated tiny house where participants used their usual hair products including creams sprays and oils and heated toolsBefore during and after hair styling the team measured realtime emissions of VOCs including cyclic volatile methyl siloxanes cVMS which are used in many hair care productsThe mass spectrometry data showed rapid changes in the chemical composition of air in the house and revealed that cVMS accounted for most of the VOCs that were detectedEmissions were influenced by product type and hair length as well as the type and temperature of the styling tool Longer hair and higher temperatures released higher amounts of VOCsAs a result of their findings the researchers estimated that a persons potential daily inhalation of one cVMS known as D5 could reach as much as 20 mg per dayIn the experiments turning on an exhaust fan removed most of the air pollutant from the room within 20 minutes after a hair care routine was completed but the scientists note that this practice could affect outdoor air quality in densely populated citiesThey say studies of the longterm human health impacts of siloxane exposure are urgently needed because most findings are from animal studiesThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever