Know those manicures and pedicures you just love, that help you feel more relaxed and put together? They could be causing salon workers-and perhaps even customers-serious health issues.
A trio of chemicals is most likely to blame-toluene, formaldehyde, and dibutyle phthalate (DBP) found in most polishes and removers. We told you about them in a former post-how they’ve been linked to reproductive abnormalities, nausea, headaches, dizziness, eye and lung irritation, shortness of breath, and even cancer. As with most things, low exposure may not hurt you, but salon workers are coming in contact with these chemicals 8-10 hours a day, up to six days a week.
The California Breast Cancer Research Program (CBCRP) has taken action to determine just what sort of danger nail salon workers may be in, with the intention of eventually finding out whether or not their increased exposure to chemicals in nail products may be increasing their risk for cancer. “Nail salon workers, in particular,” reports the Asian Health Services in research supported by CBCRP, “have been the focus of health concerns because they routinely handle nail care products containing organic solvents, some of which can cause cancer or affect a woman’s endocrine system….In the coming year, we intend to assess breast cancer rates in this workforce and specifically among Vietnamese workers. We will compare these rates to that of the general female population to answer our first research question: Do nail salon workers have higher breast cancer rates than the general population in California?”
In addition to the cancer question, CBCRP has been investigating other health effects of cosmetic chemical exposure. Findings from their pilot study in 2005 showed that many Vietnamese immigrant workers in the salon industry reported acute health effects and concerns related to workplace chemicals, including skin and eye irritation, breathing difficulties, headaches, and asthma. Since over 80% of California’s nail salons are owned and run by Vietnamese workers, these findings are significant.
What’s particularly discouraging about this is that it’s so unnecessary. There are already several alternative types of nail polish that are made without these dangerous chemicals, and some are already being used in select salons. (See our post mentioned earlier for some options.) The problem lies in educating customers and workers as to the dangers, and increasing demand for these safer products.
“There are readily available, safe products like Go Natural polishes and removers,” says Luanne Bradley, writing for AlterNet on the topic. “But so far for most salon workers, and customers, convention has superseded the health of women. Convincing the $35 billion cosmetics industry to voluntarily commit to reformulating its products is proving harder than getting squeezed in for a last-minute mani-pedi appointment at noon on a Saturday.”
It’s not like other countries haven’t done it. The EU has already banned all phthalates from its cosmetics products.
What to do? If you’re a customer, consider taking along your own non-toxic nail polish to your appointment. If you’re a salon worker, take extra safety precautions. Wear a mask while applying polish, consider protecting your hands with gloves, and take frequent breaks to wash and get some fresh air.
Do you know of other organizations trying to raise awareness of this issue? Please let us know.
Photo courtesy loupiote (Old Skool) via Flickr.com.
I’m 38, I’ve been a nail technician for 20 years. It’s only in recent years there has been regulation in regards to health concerns, prior there were no vented desks, low odor products ect. I have all year been fighting hormone negative unexplained breast cancer? Could it be the products I’ve inhaled??
Hi, Nikki. I’m very sorry to hear about your breast cancer. And I can certainly understand why you’d wonder if your exposure to chemicals all those years might have had something to do with your diagnosis. Unfortunately, there’s no way to tell for sure—that’s the problem with these chemicals. It’s difficult to test cause and effect in humans. It’s also extremely unfortunate that we haven’t required businesses to provide more safeguards for employees when working with these chemicals.
My heart goes out to you as you battle your disease—keep your head up and take care of yourself. Spread the word about safety, and please take precautions to protect yourself from exposure in the future, but don’t beat yourself up. Awareness of the potential health effects of these chemicals is only now starting to increase, so it’s not your fault. Just take gentle care of yourself from here on out!
I work as a hairdresser in a salon where there is a busy nail bar. There is no ventilation and no rear exit. The nail bar is located towards the back of the salon, but with up to 8 hairdressers working around it. The front door is kept closed due to winter weather and I’m extremely concerned about the health and safety aspects as there are strong fumes all day as well as fine but invisible dust from the electric files the nail bar workers use. The technicians wear face masks a lot of the time, but the clients don’t. As I and my colleagues work for about 9 hours a day over a 5 day period I’d like to know if any regulations are being broken.
Most artificial nail products, (nail polishes, nail polish removers, nail tip glues), and the activities involved in applying them, create vapors, dust, and even bacteria. These pollutants can cause irritation of the nose, throat, eyes, or skin. Headaches, dizziness, and other problems can be the result of systemic effects, when a chemical is absorbed into your bloodstream.
Reputable nails salons have a “source capture ventilation system” which protects both the manicurist and client. If a nail salon tells you they use fans for ventilation, it is best to find another salon. Fans will just circulate the dusts and vapors to the entire salon.