Levels of harmful airborne pollutants in nail salons are similar to that of an oil refinery or an auto garage, putting employees at increased risk of developing cancers, respiratory difficulties and skin irritation, a study warns. The research, which monitored volatile organic compound (VOC) levels in six nail salons, is among the first to illustrate the serious health risks prevalent in the industry.
According to a team from the University of Colorado Boulder in the US, nail salon employees face increased health risks due to high levels of indoor airborne pollutants such as formaldehyde and benzene.
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has determined that long-term exposure to carcinogenic compounds significantly raises the chances of developing cancers such as leukemia and Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
“The study provides some of the first hard evidence that these environments are dangerous for workers and that better policies need to be enacted to protect them,” said Lupita Montoya, lead author of the research.
Montoya’s interest in researching airborne hazards in nail salons dates back nearly a decade. She recalls visiting a salon years ago and being struck by the pungent smell of open chemicals used in gel and acrylic nail applications.
The air quality could not be very good in such a confined space with poor ventilation, she suspected, drawing on her background as a mechanical engineer. However, while many of the VOCs from nail products had already been identified, no scientific studies had looked at the long-term health impacts for workers exposed to them day in and day out.
Montoya tried to get field tests started, but securing a location proved difficult. Nail salons in the US are small businesses, employing a predominantly minority workforce and lacking the resources to adequately address worker health and safety. Fearing consequences, many declined to participate, Montoya said. In 2017, four undergraduate students working with Montoya used personal connections to help secure access to six salons for a monitoring test over the course of 18 months. The salons agreed to participate on the condition of anonymity.
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