What makes nail salons smell

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How to save thousands buying a home. How to get a free health insurance quote. Menu PhillyVoice. May 08, Why, yes, the chemicals in nail salons are just as harmful as they smell New study finds that VOCs in nail salons raise staff's cancer risk. Prevention Pollution. RELATED READ: Turns out, the chemicals in sunscreen do seep into the bloodstream The goal of the study, according to researchers at the University of Colorado — Boulder , was to provide evidence for the serious health risks facing workers in the nail salon industry, who commonly experience symptoms including headaches, respiratory problems and skin irritation.

Here are the signs your local salon might not be doing good by you or its employees:. The nail technicians aren't using masks or gloves. Nail polishes can contain what's known as the toxic trio of chemicals: formaldehyde, which causes cancer; dibutyl phthalate DBP , which can cause reproductive damage; and toluene, which causes neurological damage.

To protect themselves from the effects of these chemicals and other harmful ingredients found in polish removers, glues, and more, nail salon workers should be wearing gloves and masks. If your nail technician isn't wearing them, you can always suggest that they do so. There isn't a ventilation system or there aren't any fans blowing in the salon. If you can smell that nail salon smell and it's in your face, something is wrong.

Ask an employee to turn on the ventilation system, to open doors, and turn on fans. If you're doing your own nails at home, it's good practice to do so in a well-ventilated room.

Bottles are left open. If the caps are staying off, that means fumes are being disseminated into the air. The salon isn't using nontoxic products. Many US occupational safety and health exposure limits have not been updated for nearly 50 years. The US Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, readily acknowledges that many of its permissible exposure limits are " outdated and inadequate for ensuring protection of worker health.

OSHA offers only guidance and recommendations for businesses, effectively shifting the burden of worker protection onto private industry. This is especially problematic in the nail salon industry, where over 90 percent of salons are small businesses that employ fewer than 5 people and do not have safety personnel on staff. Inadequate cosmetic product regulations and labeling requirements make it hard to know which products are actually safe.

A study by the California Environmental Protection Agency found that 10 out of 12 nail products labeled "toluene free" still contained up to 17 percent toluene.

Products labeled free of the so-called "toxic three" ingredients — dibutyl phthalate or DBP, toluene and formaldehyde — actually contained greater concentrations of DBP , an endocrine-disrupting compound, than products that made no claims at all. Options for managing toxic exposures in the workplace. Owners often work in nail salons, so they generally support efforts to improve air quality inside their businesses.

Those who we interviewed typically had some understanding of the problem and wanted to fix it, but didn't always know how. Yet owners in our study had never heard of them — perhaps because the guides are only published in English, while many nail salon workers are Asian and Latino immigrants with limited English language skills.

Several grassroots community organizations have published guides to improving salons' air quality in both Vietnamese and Chinese. California, however, has set its own limit at 10 parts toluene per million for the same period. Formaldehyde This substance is used in nail polish and nail hardener. Studies indicate it can cause cancer. It can also irritate the eyes, skin and throat, inducing coughing, allergic reactions, asthma-like attacks or difficulty breathing.

Workers are advised by OSHA that wearing half-mask respirators with chemical cartridges can protect them from inhaling these vapors. Because even at low concentrations like 0. Dibutyl Phthalate This substance is often used to make plastics softer and more flexible, and small amounts are used in nail polish and polish hardener.

Little definitive information exists on how the chemical affects humans long-term in the U. OSHA warns that exposure in humans can cause nausea and irritation to the respiratory tract and eyes. The effects are much more concerning in animals—when rodents were orally exposed to this man-made chemical, it was shown to cause developmental and reproductive issues: Problems included birth defects in mice, decreased number of viable litters and reduced fetal birth weight. The state of California classifies it as a reproductive and developmental toxicant in humans.

The substance can be problematic for both nail technicians and customers, causing allergies, asthma and dermatitis. To get around that risk, artificial fingernails should be applied at a ventilated worktable, according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

NIOSH advises workers removing artificial nails to wear safety glasses to protect their eyes as well as long sleeves and gloves to protect their skin from acrylic dust. Avoiding these substances altogether remains challenging.