Dangerous hair dye chemical should be banned, says lawyer

A lawyer is campaigning for the immediate ban of the chemical PPD from all hair dyes after he won an out-of-court settlement for a client who had suffered a severe allergic reaction.
Greg Almond of Almond Solicitors wants PPD (para-phenylenediamine) removed from all produces, which include most of the popular hair dyes in shops and hairdressers, in henna tattoos, printing inks, fur dyes and cosmetics.  Last year, he successfully won damages for a client who suffered a severe allergic reaction to the chemical while using a hair dye.  “Without emergency treatment the effects of the reaction could have been devastating,” says Almond.
The EU’s scientific committee on cosmetics and non-food products recently said there was not enough evidence to confirm the safety of PDD, and the American Contact Dermatitis Society named it ‘allergen of the year’ last year.  
It has already been banned in some EU countries, although it is still freely available in shops in the UK.  Almond is calling on the British government to mount an urgent review of the chemical in a first step that he hopes will result in its ban.