The desire for beautiful nails has fueled an entire nail salon industry that’s growing rapidly, with storefronts cropping up on every major street across the nation.
Yet, the recent articles from the New York Times exposed an industry that’s left workers struggling both with unlivable wages and damaged health. Everyone who enters a nail salon can be affected, yet the workers are the ones left entirely unprotected.
A Chemical by Any Other Name
Nail care products contain, in varying amounts, many toxic and potentially hazardous ingredients.
Chemical ingredients in nail care products range from cancer-causing compounds such as formaldehyde to others that disrupt the endocrine system. Researchers have identified toluene, formaldehyde, and dibutyl phthalate—nicknamed the “toxic trio” because of their serious health impacts—as three chemicals of high concern for salon workers.
Toluene is a commonly used solvent that creates a smooth finish across the nail and keeps the pigment from separating in the bottle, but can affect the central nervous system and cause reproductive harm. Its major use is as an additive in gasoline.
