Adverse Reaction Injury Claims

The House of Lords recently conducted a debate on the health risks of para-Phenylensiamine in hair dye to raise awareness of the known health issues associated with the chemical, and to ask the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State what steps were being taken by the Government to warn consumers in the UK of its potential risks.  

The debate on the health risks of para-Phenylensiamine in hair dye was led by Baroness Taylor of Bolton, who brought to the House´s attention research published in the British Medical Journal that indicated the frequency of allergic reactions to para-Phenylensiamine (PPD) was increasing and accounted for at least 8 per cent of all allergic reactions treated in hospitals.

Although not advocating the banning of para-Phenylenediamine in hair dye, the Baroness advised the house that the National Hairdressing Federation had several years ago called a conference of all the main colour houses and those bodies which produce hair dye products containing para-Phenylensiamine in the hope of getting better regulation, better advice and more awareness. However nothing ever came of it.

Advocating that a skin patch test should be conducted every three to six months even if the product being used was not changed, the Baroness called on the Government to introduce measures to improve the labelling on hair products containing para-Phenylensiamine in hair dye to advise people on how to use the product safely and with minimum risk to health. Baroness Taylor was supported by Baroness Randerson who asked if the Government kept their own records of people who had suffered an injury due to para-Phenylenediamine in hair dye.

In response to the questions directed at the Government, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills -Baroness Wilcox – replied that the labelling of para-Phenylensiamine in hair dye was regulated by the European cosmetic products directive, which was implemented into UK law as the Cosmetic Products (Safety) Regulations 2008. Baroness Wilcox added that “the evidence that we [the British Government] have is that the incidence of allergic reactions from hair colorants is 0.3 to 4.3 in every million products sold”.

Baroness Wilcox also claimed that the UK industry’s trade association, the Cosmetic, Toiletry and Perfumery Association, produced very helpful fact sheets on para-Phenylensiamine in hair dye and that as PPD was not known to accumulate in the human body, consumers could use the same product for many years and still develop an allergic reaction. She concluded “We encourage the use of the patch test but will take away from this debate that maybe we are not looking at the issue hard enough at the moment”.

Para-Phenylensiamine in hair dye is believed to be responsible for the death of Tabatha McCourt in October last year and also the cause of mother-of-two Julia McCabe´s lapse into a coma due to an adverse reaction to hair dye containing para-Phenylensiamine.

A mother of two has been given an 8 per cent chance of surviving a coma which medical experts believe may have been caused by an adverse reaction to PPD hair dye.

Julie McCabe (38) from Keighley, West Yorkshire, collapsed at her home on 30th October after using a L’Oreal Preferences hair dye containing the chemical para-Phenylenediamine (PPD) – the same chemical which was blamed for the death of Tabatha McCourt at the beginning of October.

According to her father, Keith Miller, Julie emerged from dyeing her hair struggling for breath and he rushed her to the local Airedale General Hospital. During the journey to the hospital, Julie´s heart stopped beating and, although she was resuscitated on her arrival, Julie was diagnosed with brain damage and lapsed into a coma.

Doctors investigating the cause of Julie´s condition have attributed it to an adverse reaction to PPD hair dye, although further tests are being conducted as Julie regularly dyed her hair every six weeks. Julie´s father believes that a build-up of the chemical was responsible for the adverse reaction to PPD hair dye as Julie conducted the recommended patch test on each occasion she used the hair product.

A spokesperson for the manufacturer of the hair dye, L´Oreal, stated that they were very concerned about the adverse reaction to PPD hair dye and the company has offered to provide samples of their product for testing.

A preliminary investigation into the death of Tabatha McCourt has suggested that PPD chemicals in hair dye she was using at the time were responsible for causing the violent fit which lead to the teenager´s death.

Tabatha (17) from Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, had been dyeing her hair with a hair product containing para-Phenylenediamine (PPD) at a friend´s home, when she suddenly rushed from the bathroom screaming in agony.  After a period of vomiting she collapsed into a heap and, despite an ambulance being summoned immediately, she died shortly after at Monklands General Hospital, Lanarkshire.

Investigators examining Tabatha´s death have pointed to the PPD chemicals in hair dye – suggesting that Tabatha could have suffered a rare allergic reaction to the chemical. PPD is added to hair dyes as it withstands hot temperatures from hair dryers and does not fade readily with washing and drying.

However, PPD chemicals in hair dye have been identified as a contact allergen which should not be applied directly to the skin, come into contact with the eyes, inhaled or ingested. People who regularly work with PPD chemicals in hair dye have previously reported allergic reactions to PPD and the chemical is believed to also cause lung irritation, damage the nervous system and potentially be carcinogenic.

Although the final cause of Tabatha´s death will not be known until after a post-mortem has been performed, hair dye manufacturers have repeated their advice that nobody should use hair dye containing PPD chemicals without first conducting a 48 hour patch test.