Nail Salon Workers Exposed To High Levels Of Toxic Chemicals, New Study Reveals

[appalachiablue]

- CBC Radio, Canada, The Current, March 4, 2022. Ed.

- University of Toronto research findings showed levels of flame retardants far higher than at e-waste disposal. -

Every time Jackie Liang opens a bottle of base coat to apply during a manicure, she feels itchiness in her throat and coughs right away. The Toronto nail technician says she's also suffered from skin conditions. "Most nail technicians have a skin problem," Liang told The Current host Matt Galloway. "But a skin problem you can see, and I worry about the problems in our body you can't see." The results of a recent University of Toronto study suggest her worries are valid.

Published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology last month, the study found that nail technicians at discount salons are exposed to high levels of hazardous chemicals commonly used as flame retardants & plasticizers- substances that are added to materials to make them more flexible or viscous. Researchers say this points to the need for better federal government regulation of the products supplied to nail salons. Environmental chemist Miriam Diamond is co-author of the study & a prof. at the Univ. of Toronto, both in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health & the dept. of earth science.

Diamond said the research is part of a larger effort to look at hazards experienced by nail salon technicians. "In our study, we look specifically at some compounds that can lead to adverse effects or bad health effects specifically during fetal development. We were concerned because many of the women working in nail salons are of reproductive age. And that means that if they're pregnant, their fetus could be exposed to elevated levels of some chemicals that have been shown to be hazardous to fetal development."

- How to make sense of new findings on 'forever chemicals' in makeup. Sask. introducing annual inspect. of nail salons.

Working with the Parkdale Queen West Community Health Centre & Toronto's Healthy Nail Salon Network - a coalition of nail salon workers & owners, researchers, non-profits & government agencies working on the health & safety of nail salons- the team recruited 18 salons & 45 technicians to their study. The research was completed between Sept. 2017 & Sept. 2018. On the job, the technicians wore vests outfitted with miniature vacuums that sucked up samples of the air they were breathing & captured the chemicals in that air onto cartridges. They also wore silicone brooches & wristband "samplers" that passively absorb chemicals. The researchers then studied the cartridges & samplers in their lab. - More,
https://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/the-current-for-feb-25-2022-1.6364228/nail-salon-workers-exposed-to-high-levels-of-toxic-chemicals-new-study-reveals-1.6370054



- 'Beauty 360,' 100% Acetone Nail Polish Remover, CVS Pharmacy.

[WhiteTara]

1. It's horrible and duh

[zuul]

2. That shit is nasty.

Decades ago, we used acetone to remove ink from mylar drawings. It was stored in our printer/plotter room, and it smelled like death. Even with a fan running constantly, I would get a migraine if I spent any time around that shit. I don't know how salon workers stand it.