The Toxicity of Nail Salons

by Brittany Shoot · 2010-07-14 07:04:00 UTC
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You don't have to be a gal who gets her nails done to have experienced the fumes of a modern nail salon. Walk past any nail kiosk in a mall and you'll be smacked in the face by the toxic odors emanating from small shops, almost always staffed by young immigrant women of color.

A 2007 report (pdf) from Women's Voices of the Earth details what many of us may already know, to some extent: nail salons are oppressive, dangerous places for women to work. Staffed primarily by some of the most at-risk young immigrant women in the nation, workers are not only underpaid; their health is threatened by simply showing up for work every day.

Women who work in nail salons report myriad chronic health problems including work-related headaches, skin problems, and respiratory problems in addition to higher-than-average rates of asthma and higher rates of reproductive health issues. This is on top of working double-digit hours every day for meager wages while exposed to unregulated, cancer-causing toxic chemicals — everything from solvents to glues to chemical-intensive polishes. Many nail polishes still contain what is known as the "toxic trio": toluene, formaldehyde, and dibutyl phthalate, which have been linked to cancers as well as reproductive health issues and developmental disabilities.

Worse, few manicurists wear much in the way of protective gear, often because it interferes with their job performance. It's also pretty easy to leave workers in the dark about the toxic crap they're handling when little if any information is made available in a language other than English.

Organizations like the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and the National Healthy Nail Salon Alliance are doing their part to ensure that the FDA monitors the cosmetics industry as a whole, but you can do something too. You can support organic cosmetics companies (especially the women-owned and operated ones!), make sure non-organic brands have removed the "toxic trio" (and carry a handy reference card [pdf] in your wallet to be sure), and only support salons that have fair labor standards. Don't know how to tell who's operating above the board? Ask. A nice mani-pedi isn't worth exposing yourself to toxic chemicals, and it definitely isn't worth the price your manicurist is paying.

H/T Campus Choices Blog

Photo Credit: Muffet

Brittany Shoot is a freelance writer, editor and critic. She's one of the editors of the Feminist Review blog and a frequent contributor to a variety of progressive publications.
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