Shanghai Food and Drug Administration is checking to see whether five types of hair dye found in Guangdong Province to contain a banned chemical are being sold in the city.

They include a Revlon black dye and dyes from four other companies in the province.

If found, they will be tested for m-phenylenediamine, an industrial dye, spokesman Gu Zhenhua said. "We will ask manufacturers to remove relevant products from the shelf if we find the chemical."

It is prohibited in cosmetics, since it can cause gene mutations and cancer, and affect fetus development.

Guangdong officials checked 29 batches from 21 makers in locations including Shanghai.

(Shanghai Daily March 17, 2009)