您的位置：首页 > 新闻中心 > 社会 > 正文

笑看风云

FDA considers issuing proposed rule to ban formaldehyde in hair straightening products_我的网站

A | The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued a notice suggesting it may consider a proposal to ban the use of formaldehyde in hair straightening and hair smoothing products.The FDA's consideration of the proposal was entered in the Unified Agenda, a government registry of actions that administrative agencies plan to issue.There is no set timeline on when the agency may consider the proposal or when, if it moves forward, a ban would go into effect.Frequent use of hair-straightening products that include chemicals like formaldehyde has been found in studies to put women at a higher risk for uterine cancer.One study published last year found an association that women who self-reported frequent use of hair straightening products were more than twice as likely to later develop uterine cancer than women who did not use the products. Scientists caution that it's not clear yet if these products cause cancer. For now, research only hints at only a probable link.Uterine cancer, a type of cancer that starts in the uterus, is a risk factor for anyone with a uterus, but the risk increases with age, especially during and after menopause, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Last year's study found that Black women may be more affected by the increased risk of uterine cancer not because of their race, but due to the fact that they use chemical hair straightening products at a higher rate. Frequent use of the products was defined as more than four times in the previous year, according to the study, which included more than 33,000 women between the ages of 35 to 74.Formaldehyde is described by the Environmental Protection Agency as a "colorless, flammable gas" that can cause "adverse health effects" with exposure. When used in hair smoothing products, the formaldehyde is released into the air as a gas when the products are heated.The Department of Health and Human Services lists formaldehyde as a "known carcinogen."The FDA issued a warning last year stating that the use of hair smoothing products in an area that is not properly ventilated could lead to a risk of a person inhaling formaldehyde. In the warning, the agency acknowledged it began receiving "inquiries from consumers and salon professionals" about the safety of formaldehyde in products as far back as 20 years ago.Melanie Benesh, vice president for government affairs at the Environmental Working Group, an environmental advocacy organization, described the FDA's consideration of a ban on formaldehyde as a move that is "welcome, but long overdue."Benesh pointed out that the Environmental Working Group published a report as early as 2011 on the widespread use of formaldehyde in hair product brands and in salons across the U.S."The FDA has been aware of this issue for a long time," Benesh told "Good Morning America," adding, "There is no reason that the FDA shouldn’t have acted earlier on what is a real public health issue, particularly for salon workers."The FDA did not reply to ABC News' request for comment in response to Benesh's claim that the agency should have acted sooner.Benesh added that salon workers are at increased risk of adverse health effects due to their prolonged exposure to the types of hair treatments that include chemicals, including keratin treatments and Brazilian blowouts."Consumers are going to be exposed if they get one of those treatments or if you're in the salon while someone else is getting that same kind of treatment," she said. "But salon workers are more likely to do multiple treatments a day or multiple treatments a week and over the course of a year, and so those repeat exposures can really add up to an increased risk."California and Maryland recently passed state legislation banning the use of formaldehyde in hair straightening products. Both laws are set to go into effect January 2025.Benesh noted there are hair straightening and smoothing products currently on the market that do not use formaldehyde. She said her advice to consumers and salon workers is to not wait for regulatory action but instead refrain from using hair products with formaldehyde on their own."There's no reason to wait until the law takes effect or until a proposed rule takes effect to switch to safer products, or to just no longer offer those services if you can't find a hair smoothing or hair straightening treatment that you like that doesn't use formaldehyde," Benesh said. "It's not worth the risk. It's not worth your stylists or your consumers potentially getting cancer just to have straight hair."。

新华网北京8月18日电（记者刘璟）8月22日，第二届世界人形机器人运动会将在国家速滑馆“冰丝带”正式开赛。

B | 17日，媒体探访团走进赛场，近距离揭开数千台人形机器人“运动员”赛前备战、赛事通信保障的幕后故事。

相较于首届赛事，本届赛事规模实现跨越式扩容，参赛队伍达到666支、2056台机器人将同台竞技，参赛队伍数量较首届增长138%。

图为第二届世界人形机器人运动会机器人备赛现场。新华网发

此外，赛事难度也持续升级。简单来说，鼓励机器人从“能走”到“会干”，更好、更快地进入人类生活。

C | 例如赛事新增了乒乓球、自由搏击等高对抗项目，考验机器人毫秒级响应、运动控制、抗干扰等能力；首发灵巧手专项赛，还原人类手指的灵巧与操作能力；首创“综合五项”赛，将百米竞速与场景任务深度结合，选拔“全能选手”。场景赛则围绕家庭清洁、酒店服务、工业生产、应急救援、图书管理、商超零售、办公服务、园林巡检、车辆充电等九大场景展开。全自主操控成竞技赛硬门槛。

据北京北奥集团有限责任公司副总经理谢小龙介绍，赛事已从单一的科技竞技展示，进阶为“体育+艺术+产业应用”深度融合的全维度场景生态，对人形机器人的自主决策、精准运动控制、复杂场景适配等核心能力提出更高标准、更高要求。

D |

就像人类运动员赛前需要训练、休整补给，数千台机器人选手同样拥有专属备赛空间。针对本届赛项多、赛程长的特点，组委会在各个竞赛场地周边打造“机器人之家”，相当于机器人专属的“运动员村”，专门用来满足机器人赛前集训、存放、充电维保需求。同时依托数字化管理，高效完成存取登记，为正式比赛做好充足准备。

这么多台机器人同时在场馆内训练、比赛，如何保证它们有序接入网络、互不干扰，稳定接收指令、回传数据？这是本次赛事面临的最大技术挑战。

作为本届赛事全球独家通信服务合作伙伴，中国联通以5G-A、立体Wi-Fi、具身智能机器人管理平台及全流程标准化智慧网络运营体系，搭建覆盖智慧办赛、智慧参赛、智慧观赛的一体化数字底座。

“每台机器人参加运动会，它所能够加入的网络都是我们为它量身定制设计好的。”中国联通北京市分公司副总经理秦洋介绍，每台参赛机器人拥有专属网络参赛号与唯一网络ID。依托联通打造的具身智能机器人管理平台，完成设备身份认证、统一调度管控，实现对机器人的整体控制与组织安排，有效规避网络冲突、网络卡顿等问题。这套平台如同赛事“智慧中枢”，可总览所有机器人运行状态，实现全域感知、智能研判、精准调度，构建起网络身份可信、运行状态可知、场馆位置可查的闭环运营体系。

图为具身智能机器人管理平台接入服务站。

E | 新华网发

据了解，本次大赛期间，联通通过载波隔离、AI智能调度等技术手段，打造专属人机共生通信底座，将竞技网络与媒体传播网络物理隔离，化解高密度场景流量争抢、信号干扰难题，把端到端时延控制在30毫秒以内，保障机器人毫秒级响应，从容应对乒乓球、自由搏击、障碍跑等高对抗赛项。同时支撑4K/8K超高清赛事直播回传，兼顾万人现场观赛的网络体验，同步服务人、机器人、智能终端多类连接需求。