Riesgos en la salud del uso crónico de formaldehído en el ámbito laboral y como componente de productos de alisado capilar

• Autores: Vera M, Sebastián, Mennickent Cid, Sigrid, Gómez-Gaete, Carolina, Rogel C , Cristian
• Formato: artículo
• Fecha de Publicación: 2024
• Institución: Universidad de San Martín de Porres
• Repositorio: Horizonte médico
• Lenguaje: español; inglés
• OAI Identifier: oai:horizontemedico.usmp.edu.pe:article/2552
• Enlace del recurso: https://www.horizontemedico.usmp.edu.pe/index.php/horizontemed/article/view/2552
• Nivel de acceso: acceso abierto
• Materia: Formaldehído; Efectos Tóxicos; Factores de Riesgo; Preparaciones para el Cabello; Formaldehyde; Toxicity; Risk Factors; Hair Preparations

Formaldehyde is a chemical compound used as a precursor in various industrial processes and hair straightening products. It is classified as carcinogenic in humans. Considering the importance of the topic, this review aims to identify and characterize the health risks that formaldehyde chronic exposure involves and to describe the existing evidence of its main toxic effects as well as the risk factors during the application of this compound in the hair straightening process. For this purpose, a literature review was carried out by using the PubMed database, limiting it to studies conducted between 2010 and 2020. A total of 126 publications were found, for which a relevance analysis was performed, and those that studied the effects after chronic inhalation of formaldehyde in humans were selected. Finally, this search resulted in 75 publications. Among the harmful effects of formaldehyde analyzed in each publication, those present in three or more publications were selected. Based on the results obtained in this review, harmful effects of formaldehyde chronic exposure cannot be ruled out. There is evidence from the literature that corroborates the increase in genotoxic processes in humans, specifically in nasal epithelial cells and peripheral blood leukocytes. On the other hand, there is no robust epidemiological evidence that links chronic exposure to this compound and leukemia or nasopharyngeal cancer. Regarding reproductive toxicity, there are reports of miscarriages and low birth weight, even when the exposed subject is the future father. Other pathologies that have been linked to formaldehyde chronic exposure are renal damage, methemoglobinemia, asthma, dermatitis, tumors, skin irritation and burns, eye fatigue and pain, tearing, mood changes, fatigue, sore throat, rhinorrhea and headache. On the other hand, the average concentration of formaldehyde to which a person could be exposed during a hair straightening treatment shows alarming values since it frequently exceeds the least restrictive exposure limits and can reach levels much higher than those experienced by the exposed subjects included in the reviewed epidemiological studies. It is important to have good ventilation and use products with formaldehyde concentrations within the allowed limit.