EFFECT OF HAIR DYES ON ENVIRONMENT AND THEIR

SOLUTIONS

(ASSIGNMENT # 01 SEMESTER SPRING -2020)

Submission Date (July 23, 2020)

BY

MAHRUKH PALL

ROLL # 17351506-014

Course Code: BOT-406

Course Title: Environmental Biology

BS BOTANY 8th (A)

Submitted to

Dr. Shamim Akhtar

Department of Botany

UNIVERSITY OF GUJRAT
 Contents

 Introduction
 Health concerns
 Treating an allergic reaction due to dye
 Hazards of hair colour
 Dyes impact on environmental
 Remediation
 Effect of dyes on water bodies
 Waste water remediation
 Raw material
 Dispose of raw material
 Dispose of plastic bottle in hair dyes
 conclusion
 Hair dye their effects and solutions

Introduction:

Hair coloring, or hair dyeing, is the practice of changing the hair color. The main reasons for this
are cosmetic: to cover gray or white hair, to change to a color regarded as more fashionable or
desirable, or to restore the original hair color after it has been discolored by hairdressing
processes or sun bleaching.

Hair coloring can be done professionally by a hairdresser or independently at home. Today, hair
coloring is very popular, with 75% of women and 18% of men living in Copenhagen having
reported using hair dye. At-home coloring in the United States reached $1.9 billion in 2011 and
was expected to rise to $2.2 billion by 2016.

Health concerns:

 The salt lead acetate (the active ingredient in gradual darkening products such as Grecian
formula) is toxic. Lead acetate hydrate has also been shown to cause reproductive toxicity.
 Articles link the development of some forms of cancer (including leukemia, Hodgkin
lymphoma, bladder cancer, blood cancer, and multiple myeloma) with use of hair
color. More specifically, prolonged use of permanent dark hair dyes can double a person's
risk of getting some types of blood cancer.
 In 2004 a known human carcinogen, 4-aminobiphenyl or 4-ABP, was found in some
commercial hair dyes. However, evidence is limited and inconsistent for the link between
cancer from hair dye.
 Methamphetamine is known to cause health concerns, such as skin irritation. Exposure to
Methamphetamine can occur during manufacturing or during the use of hair dyes. According
to the Product Safety Summary Sheet by DuPont, Methamphetamine (PPD) is labeled as
toxic and can cause adverse effects on aquatic organisms and could cause long-term effects
in aquatic environments.

In October 2017, the leading breast surgeon Professor Kefah Mokbel published a meta-

analysis showing that use of hair dyes might increase the risk of developing breast cancer by

Treating an allergic reaction from hair dye:

There are a number of methods you can try to treat your symptoms at home. Try one of these
options:

 If you have an immediate, mild reaction to the dye, rinse it off immediately and
thoroughly with warm water and mild soap or mild shampoo.

 Apply a solution of potassium permanganate to the affected area. This can help fully
oxidize PPD. PPD only causes allergic reactions when it’s in a partially oxidized state.

 Treat contact dermatitis symptoms, such as skin rash or itching, with an over-the-counter,
topical corticosteroid skin cream. These can be used on the face, neck, and other parts of
the body, but should not be used near or in the eyes or mouth.

 Use shampoos containing topical corticosteroids, such as Clobex, on your scalp.

 Apply hydrogen peroxide. It’s a mild antiseptic and may help calm the skin and reduce
irritation and blistering.

 Take an oral antihistamine, such as Benadryl, to help reduce skin inflammation and
itching.
If your symptoms don’t improve, or if they get worse or cause you distress that interferes with
your ability to function, call your doctor immediately.

You may be able to get relief from prescription-strength corticosteroids. These are available in
many forms, including creams, lotions, eye drops, ear drops, and pills.

Hazards of Hair Colour:

So, now, if anyone wants to have a quick jazzy new hair look for an event that pops out of
nowhere, they know exactly what to get for their beautiful hair. But before that, it is very
necessary to be fully aware of the hair color brand that will suit their scalp the most.

For this purpose, it is better to have a little chit-chat with the hair experts, stylists, barbers,
professionals, beauticians or even doctors, because a little guidance can save the lot from extra
damage.

The beautiful fiery reds, the warm and deep burgundy shades. The vibrant and beautiful neon
blues, purples and pinks, all of them easily grabs anyone’s attention. Yes, Colouring hair does
look trendy, attractive, gives you a whole new look and fulfills the sweet little beauty wishes a
person carries in their heart.

Some people even try two to three different colors on their hair. Half of the side being beautiful
cherry red and the other half being light subtle ash Frey or blonde, giving a perfect eye-candy
look not only to themselves but also to the viewer.

Some people in Pakistan color their hair for the sake of their own pleasure, while some do it
upon the requests of their loved ones or some close friends. This process has not only enhanced
the brand marketing strategies but also helped the salons in business and money-making
industry.

Hair dye’s impact on the environment:

During the coloration process, a large percentage of the dye does not bind to the fabric and is lost
to the rosewater stream. Approximately 10-15% dyes are released into the environment during
dyeing process making the effluent highly colored and aesthetically unpleasant. Public
perception of water quality is greatly influenced by the colour. So, the removal of colour from
rosewater is often viewed as more important than the removal of the soluble colorless organic
Dyes absorb and reflect sunlight in water. This diminishes photosynthetic activity of algae and
seriously influences the food chain. Many dyes and their breakdown products are carcinogenic,
mutagenic and/or toxic to life. Triple primary cancers involving skin, kidney, urinary bladder and
liver of dye workers have been reported. Textile dyes can cause allergies such as contact
dermatitis and respiratory diseases, allergic reaction in eyes, skin irritation, and irritation to
mucous membrane and the upper respiratory tract.
Certain reactive dyes causes respiratory sensitization of workers who are occupationally exposed
to them. The presence of very small amounts of dyes in the water, seriously affects the quality
and transparency of water bodies such as lakes, rivers and others, damages the aquatic
environment. The highly toxic and mutagenic dyes decrease light penetration and photosynthetic
activity, causing oxygen deficiency and limiting downstream beneficial uses such as recreation,
drinking water and irrigation. Dyes have toxic effects, especially carcinogenic and mutagenic.
They enter the body by ingestion and are metabolized by intestinal microorganisms causing
DNA damage.
Remediation:
Enhance the existing effluent disposal treatment plants through Reverse Osmosis (RO) and the
resultant water can be used as fresh water for the region o Industries should switch over to
Cleaner Production Technologies (CPT) by using combination of soft flow machines, low salt
dyes and membranes filtration. This effectively reduces the water consumption by 50%. Use of
activated carbon in the absorption of chemicals in waste from the dye process, which has shown
to greatly reduce some of the pollutants in the waste.
River polluted with dyes

Such was the case in 2011 in northern China when the Ian river turned red as the result of an
illegal dye dump from a local chemical plant.
Local residents and farmers near rivers which have been turned different Co lours have reported
health problems and wonder if the food they are obliged to grow in nearby fields is safe to eat,
reporting also that all the fish died, and the lifeless river turned to sludge. The dying process
discharges many chemicals through the polluted water and chemicals, which results in the death
of aquatic life, the ruining of soils and poisoning of drinking water. The environmental impact of
the coloring process is significant and the laws that are in place, have been seen to be not well
enforced, such as in China, as can be seen with the Ian river incident.
During the dyeing process an average t-shirt will use 16-20 lit res of water, which means that on
average, the global textile industry discharges 40,000 – 50,000 tons of dye into the water system.
A great environmental concern with dyes is the absorption and reflection of sunlight entering the
water. Light absorption diminishes photosynthetic activity of algae and seriously influence on
the food chain as the algae are the base of the food chain, thus affecting every organism above it.
The lack of algae is one of the main reasons that the aquatic life suffers in areas that dyes are
discharged, but another is because of the toxicity of the dyes themselves.

Water Bodies: Effects of Dyes:

”According to a report from Cambridge University, approximately 50,000 tons of dye are
discharged into global water systems from dye industries.” When chemicals used in making
synthetic dyes find their way into water bodies,they affect human health and cause the death of
water ecosystems . This problem is especially experienced in developing countries, who are still
struggling to enforce high standards of safety regulations. Factory workers often use harmful
dyes without protective clothing or use dyes laced with banned ingredients. Some examples of
harmful chemicals contained in dyes include: Liliana, dioxin, formaldehyde and heavy metals
such as zinc. These substances, when consumed or come into contact with human skin, cause
negative effects ranging from hormone disruption in children and cancer in factory workers and
people drinking contaminated water.

Chemicals such as Liliana, are also very flammable, making dyes a fire hazard in the workplace.

Waste water remediation:

There are regulations regarding the colour limits in effluents, which vary in different countries.
The dye wastewater remediation is based not only in colour removal (decolourisation), but also
in the degradation and mineralization of the dye molecules. Indeed, decolourisation occurs when
the molecules are removed from the solution or when the chromophore bond is broken, but the
molecule in the first case, and the major fragments in the second, remain intact. The absorption
of light by the associated molecules shifts from the visible to the ultraviolet or infrared region of
the electromagnetic spectrum. . A wide range of technologies has been developed for the
removal of synthetic dyes from waters and wastewaters to decrease their envirorunental impact.
These include physical methods such as membrane-filtration processes (Nano filtration, reverse
osmosis, electrodialysis) and sorption techniques; chemical methods such as coagulation or
flocculation combined with flotation and filtration, precipitation flocculation with
Fe(IT)/Ca(OH)2, electro flotation, electro kinetic coagulation, conventional oxidation methods
(e.g. with ozone), irradiation or electrochemical processes; and biological methods, aerobic and
anaerobic microbial degradation, and the use of pure enzymes. Traditional wastewater treatment
technologies are markedly ineffective for handling wastewater of synthetic textile dyes because
of the chemical stability of the pollutants. Additionally, they do not address the water recycling
issue. The major disadvantage of phys1cochem1cal methods is primarily the high cost, low
efficiency, limited versatility, need for specialized equipment, interference by other wastewater
constituents, and the handling of the generated waste. Physical methods can effectively remove
colour, but the dye molecules are not degraded, becoming concentrated and requiring proper
disposal. With the chemical techniques, although the dyes are removed, accumulation of
concentrated sludge can create a disposal problem. There is also the possibility that a secondary
pollution problem arises because of the excessive amounts of chemicals involved. Recently,
other emerging techniques- advanced oxidation processes, which are based on the generation of
very powerful oxidizing agents such as hydroxyl radicals- have been applied with success in
pollutant degradation. Although these methods are efficient for the treatment of waters
contaminated with pollutants, they are very costly and commercially unattractive. The high
electrical energy demand and the consumption of chemical reagents are common problems. The
development of efficient, economic and environn1entally friendly technologies to decrease dye
content in wastewater to acceptable levels at affordable cost is of utmost importance. Biological
methods are generally considered environmentally friendly because they can lead to complete
mineralization of organic pollutants at low cost. They also remove BOD, COD and suspended
solids. The main limitation can be related in some cases to the toxicity of some dyes and/or their
degradation products to the organisms used in the process. Indeed, the removal of dyes depends
on their physical and chemical characteristics, as well as the selected treatment method, with no
technology in use today having universal application. However, some of the processes do not
satisfactorily remove the colour and others are costly.
Raw Materials:

Most commercial hair dye formulas are complex, with dozens of ingredients, and the formulas
differ considerably from manufacturer to manufacturer. In general, hair dyes include dyes,
modifiers, accidents, alkalies, soaps, ammonia, wetting agents, fragrance, and a variety of other
chemicals used in small amounts that impart special qualities to hair (such as softening the
texture) or give a desired action to the dye (such as making it more or less permanent). The dye
chemicals are usually amigo compounds, and show up on hair dye ingredient lists with such
names as 4-amino-2-hydroxytoluene and acetaminophen. Metal oxides, such as titanium dioxide
and iron oxide, are often used as pigments as well.

Other chemicals used in hair dyes act as modifiers, which stabilize the dye pigments or otherwise
act to modify the shade. The modifiers may bring out color tones, such as green or purple, which
complement the dye pigment. One commonly used modifier is intercessor, though there are
many others. Antioxidants protect the dye from oxidizing with air. Most commonly used is
sodium sulfate. Alkalies are added to change the pH of the dye formula, because the dyes work
best in a highly alkaline composition. Ammonium hydroxide is a common alkalies. Beyond these
basic chemicals, many different chemicals are used to impart special qualities to a manufacturer's
formula. They may be shampoos, fragrances, chemicals that make the formula creamy, foamy, or
thick, or contribute to the overall action of the formula.

Hair dyes are usually packaged with a developer, which is in a separate bottle. The developer is
most often based on hydrogen peroxide, with the addition of small amounts of other chemicals
depending on the manufacturer.
Dispose of raw material:

Depending on your hair care routine and on how many products you use in your routine, you
could be going through close to 40 bottles each year (assuming three bottles each month). For
Product Junkies, this number is likely to be even higher. That makes for a plethora of plastic
packaging that you are disposing of every year.

If you’ve determined that you’d like to recycle your product bottles, there are several options. In
many neighborhoods, all you’ll need to do is place your materials in a recycling bin (that you
keep) and put them by the curb on trash pick-up days. If your neighborhood doesn’t do this, you
can also bring your recycled materials to on-site locations. The site 1-800-Recycling.com was set
up to help you find those on-site locations near you. Simply click the button titled “plastics” for
product bottles, then select the type of plastic you have from the menu on the right. From there,
you’ll

Pouches and squeezable tubes usually can’t be recycled:

Anything that is multilayer or multimaterial in format is challenging to recycle. That just means
that there is a coating or film in the inside the package or the object is made up of different types
of plastic. Certain flexible pouches (like resalable pouches with face masks) and toothpaste tubes
are considered multilayer and should be thrown in the trash unless the package explicitly states
that you can recycle it.

Dispose of plastic bottles in hair dyes:

Many plastic products - especially bottles - contain a chemical known as BPA (Biphenyl A).
While this chemical helps harden plastic bottles, it’s also hazardous to humans. In fact, there’s a
link between BPA and cancer, neurological problems, and even early puberty in girls. This
chemical enters your body through contact with BPA-containing plastics. On the other hand,
many shampoo bottles are made from a plastic known as HDPE (high-density polyethylene)
plastic. This type of plastic is so safe that even eco-friendly companies recommend it for
manufacturing baby bottles.
It's standard practice for many curies to research the ingredients in your curly hair products,
especially with so many brands now putting front and center their choice to exclude certain
ingredients from their formulas; likewise, it wouldn't hurt to check out a brand's stance on
product packaging.

Conclusion:

Hair dye products now represent one of the most rapidly growing beauty and personal care
industries as both men and women commonly change hair color to enhance youth and beauty and
to follow fashion trends. Irrespective of economic and education status, people dye their hair to
emphasize the importance given to appearance. Despite adverse reactions, many people continue
dyeing mainly for cosmetic purposes. This paper provides a comprehensive review on various
aspects of hair dying products, especially with respect to the hair-coloring process, classification,
chemical ingredients, possible human health impacts, and regulations. Permanent hair dye, which
is the most commonly used product type, is formed by an oxidative process involving aryl
amines to bring about concerns with long-term exposure. Hence, significant efforts have been
put to understand the possible side effects of such exposure including cancer risk. However, hair
dyes and their ingredients are mainly identified to have moderate to low acute toxicity such as
the cause of allergic contact dermatitis. Although some hair dye components are reported to be
carcinogenic in animals, such evidence is not consistent enough in the case of human studies.
Consequently, further research is desirable to critically address the significance of this issue,
especially with respect to the safety of hair dye.
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