The demand for “mani/pedis” and other beauty salon services has grown steadily over the past few decades.  Nail salon and other cosmetology workers handle solvents, chemical solutions, glues, and cosmetic products that contain chemicals known to be carcinogenic and suspected to cause reproductive harm on a daily basis. Of the more than 380,000 nail technicians nationwide, a staggering 42% are of Asian descent. With occupational exposures, history of immigration, barriers to health awareness, and limited access to health care, this immigrant population has a complex health risk profile.

Unfortunately, there remains little research on long-term health impacts of occupational exposures in nail salons. There is also a paucity of culturally appropriate programs to build their awareness about environmental exposures and help workers and owners implement safety precautions and practices.  To make matters worse, there is currently very little federal regulation of chemicals in salon products.  While research on nail salon workers is limited, new studies provide reason for concern for this vulnerable population.

Over the last several years, scientific studies have shown a correlation between health problems in nail salon workers and daily exposure to chemicals in nail care products. Three chemicals of particular concern are toluene, formaldehyde and dibutyl phthalate, nicknamed the “toxic trio.” Toluene helps create a smooth finish across the nail and also keeps the pigment from separating from the liquid in the bottle. It is a common volatile solvent which can impact the central nervous system, cause irritation of the eyes, throat and lungs, and is a possible reproductive toxin. Formaldehyde, which is used as a nail hardening agent, is also a volatile chemical that can evaporate into the air of a salon. Formaldehyde is known to cause cancer. Dibutyl phthalate (DBP) is a plasticizing chemical, added to nail polishes to provide flexibility and a moisturizing sheen. DBP exposure can affect thyroid function and, in pregnant women, has been linked to reproductive problems in baby boys as well as to decreased sperm count in adult men.

The removal of toxic chemicals should lessen the harmful exposures nail salon workers experience. There is, however, further work to be done to ensure that alternative chemicals are safe, and that companies remove hazardous ingredients from all nail salon products and solvents—not just nail polishes. Additionally, more research is needed to better understand the chemical exposures nail salon workers experience, so that preventive measures can be taken to protect their health.  To that end, the National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum, the California Healthy Nail Salon Collaborative, and Women's Voices for the Earth founded the  National Healthy Nail Salon Alliance (NHNSA), a network of 35 organizations, scientific researchers, advocates and government agencies, to provide a way for state efforts to dialogue, share resources, learn from each other, and to coordinate advocacy projects aimed at reducing the use of hazardous chemical ingredients as well as identify ways to increasing greater awareness about the issue.  To learn more about this issue or the NHNSA, please contact Nancy Chung at nchung@napawf.org.