Introduction:

Cosmetic products used in beauty treatments contain different irritating toxic chemicals and carcinogens such as formaldehyde, classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer I.A.R.C. as type 2, probably carcinogenic in humans(1); and ammonia also classified as carcinogenic by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health NIOSH(2), which can enter the body through inhalation, oral route, eye contact and skin contact producing different clinical symptoms in stylists. Objective: To identify chemical exposure and related symptoms in hairdressers in the informal sector in Palmira, Colombia.

Method:

The characteristics of the population were assessed with a self-made sociodemographic survey, the characteristics of chemical exposure in the salons with the Stoffenmanager qualitative assessment questionnaire, and the symptoms in the skin, ocular mucosa and upper airway of the hairdressers with the Nordic questionnaire of occupational skin diseases NOSQ-2002/SHORT. The hairdressers were randomly selected from a universe of 35 hairdressers classified into three strata according to the number of workers.

Results:

Chemical exposure conditions were evaluated in 12 hairdressers, finding that inhalation exposure was high in the straightening process; dermal contact exposure was high in straightening and coloring, and very high in bleaching; dermal exposure by absorption was high for coloring and very high for smoothing and bleaching. Dermal and respiratory symptoms were evaluated in 64 stylists, finding dermal symptoms in 51.6%, and respiratory symptoms in 60.9%.

Conclusions:

The greatest chemical exposure hazard was found to be in the straightening process. Stylists’ symptoms are related to the frequency of exposure to these chemicals.