Coal tar: effects, alternatives and where to find
Present in cigarettes, hair dyes and pesticides, tar is very harmful to health
Present in cigarettes, road asphalt, pesticides and some cosmetics, coal tar, also known as coal tar, is extremely harmful to human health and the environment.
Coal tar is a product of coal processing. It is possible to find numerous substances associated with the emergence of cancer, such as phenols, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), sulfur, aromatic amines, benzene, arsenic, cadmium, nickel and chromium.
In cosmetics, coal tar can be found mainly in semi-permanent hair dyes, in addition to gels, soaps, creams, lotions and shampoos designed to combat dandruff. In hair dyes, coal tar has the function of fixing the color. It is recognized that in Brazil many people use hair dyes for cultural and social reasons. According to a survey, 26% of the Brazilian population uses hair dye. In a population of approximately 200 million, there are about 52 million people using hair dyes. (Learn more here)
The name of tar on cosmetic packaging may appear as coal tar solution, tar, coal, carb-cort, coal tar solution USP, coal tar, aerosol, crude coal tar, be, impervotar, KC 261, lavatar and picis carbonis, naphtha, high solvent naphtha, naphtha distillate, benzin B70 and petroleum benzin [3,4].
Health and environmental effects
According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), coal tar is considered to be carcinogenic to humans (group 1). The effects in humans are the appearance of skin, lung, bladder, kidney and blood cell cancers (leukemia).
As coal tar is also used as a component in pesticides, the negative impacts on the environment are the contamination of soil and water resources, affecting the survival of other species and also of human beings.
National and international regulation
In Brazil, coal tar is on the list of substances that cannot be used in personal care products, cosmetics and perfumes, prepared by the National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA).
To the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the United States, cosmetics can have up to 5% of the total composition of coal tar, and must present information on the presence of coal tar on the packaging.
Alternatives
It is important to always read the packaging and verify that the coal tar is present in the product. Avoid product if it has coal tar.
Alternatively, there are natural dyes, the best known being henna, which is the popular name for a natural dye extracted from the plant called Lawsonia inermis.