Finally did it!
Posted by Anne Beltestad on September 6, 2001 at 22:52:03:
In reply to: Re: Petition specifics posted by Catherine Cartwright Jones on September 6, 2001 at 20:41:25:
Thank you Catherine!Your hard work on this FDA rant is awesome, and I only copied a
little ;)
Now if we can all have PPD literature with us in bulk whenever out in
public...sigh...
The good news is that my neighbor saw my henna the other day and
said, "wow, that's really beautiful, I've never seen henna look that
good! Usually it's just splotchy! Wow!"
When people see real henna done well, and have half a brain, they
seem not to want poison on them...
Anne
To Whom It May Concern,
I am writing to express my grave concern over the FDA's recent ban on
the import of henna (Lawsonia Inermis). This is related to section
721© of the act on dyes.
Henna has been in use as a safe, natural, skin and hair dye for over
7000 years for cultural, religious, and celebratory purposes. It has
been used by hundreds of different cultures over the centuries,
including Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, Rom, B'hai,
Parsee, Zoasterian, and countless other ethnicities, tribes and
groups. Brides, and sometimes grooms, are hennaed as a wedding
tradition. Devout Muslim men henna their beards as a sign that they
have been to Mecca. Orthodox Jewish and Conservative Muslim women
use henna as a nail polish so that they may be permitted to pray. In
the former Yugoslavia, elderly women dip their fingertips in henna
when they know that they will soon die.
Henna (mehndi) has currently become popular in the United States as a
summertime body adornment both by members of traditional henna
cultures and by those new to henna art.
Unfortunately, this trend has led to the adulteration of pure, safe
henna with PPD (para-phenylenediamine) a chemical dye, to create so-
called "black henna", a fast-staining dye, to imitate tattooing.
Adulterants such as para-phenylenediamine have been introduced into
henna, or used in place of henna by greedy, ignorant and
unscrupulous people. Adulterated henna is illegal, and FDA
regulations regarding use of para-phenylenediamine should be
upheld!
It has been scientifically proven that henna itself does not cause
eczema-like oozing sores, or the liver and kidney failure associated
with PPD, which is a trans-dermal toxin.
See the papers at http://www.bupa.co.uk/health_news/211200henna.html
which states: "Dermatologists know that henna - a vegetable dye
commonly used in Muslim and Hindu body art - causes minor skin
irritation at worst. In these more severe cases it was unlikely to be
the culprit. Suspicions turned instead to other possible ingredients
of the body paint. Four patients were tested with other common dye
chemicals, by placing them on small patches of skin and checking for
reactions. All of the results were positive for an allergy to
chemicals used in hair dye, especially p-phenylenediamine."
Natural henna is characterised as "a rare and weak skin sensitizer"
in "Allergic contact dermatitis caused by skin painting
(pseudotattooing) with black henna, a mixture of henna and p-
phenylenediamine and its derivatives." by Le Coz CJ, Lefebvre C,
Keller F, Grosshans E.. The article also states that the contact
dermatitis associated with "black henna" is due to inappropriate use
of p-phenylenediamine. See:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?
cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=11115163&dopt=Abstract
Therefore, any ban on PPD "temporary tattoos" should not affect real
henna.
The FDA is correct to insist that pure henna, Lawsonia Inermis,
should not be adulterated by chemical agents.
Henna is only the only safe hair dye for people who have become
sensitized to para-Phenylenediamine.
The import of 100% pure henna should be permitted for these people,
as their health would be imperiled by using commercial synthetic hair
dye.
100% pure henna is the ONLY hair dye permitted to Orthodox Jews and
Conservative Muslims. Henna should be a permitted import for these
people, who, by their religious conscience, cannot use any commercial
hair dye.
Not only is henna (Lawsonia Inermis) NOT causing "black henna"
injuries, and permitted by FDA regulation as a hair colorant, henna
is part of the religious practice of many citizens of the United
States.
Therefore, henna is protected as a constitutional right under the
First Amendment which allows freedom of religion.
Henna is ancient, beautiful, an inherant part of many peoples'
culture, and safe. Banning henna is not going to prevent the use of
toxins such as PPD to create "temporary tattoos"; education about
real henna is. Myself and my colleagues are committed to educating
every customer we decorate about real, safe, traditional henna, as
well as helping keep alive its traditions for those who grew up with
it.
FDA regulations prohibiting import of pure henna (Lawsonia Inermis)
are vague, poorly reasoned and not enforceable. They should be re-
written or dropped. There is no compelling reason to seize 100% pure
henna. There are many reasons to permit its import.
Anne Beltestad Kirkham
Gilded Lilies Henna Arts
Seattle, WA and New York, NY
Masters' Candidate in Political Science at the New School University
Follow Ups
- Righteous!
Catherine Cartwright Jones 00:42:45 9/7/2001
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