Ecofriendly Nail Salons: Color Me Nontoxic

Walking into the Isabella Nail Bar in Oakland, California, on a rainy spring morning, I notice a remarkable difference between this salon and others that I’ve visited.
No bad nail salon smell.

Uyen Nguyen opened her shop in 2008, and it’s one of a number of eco-friendly nail salons popping up around the country. It features formaldehyde-free polishes, organic lotions, and improved ventilation, among other things. The mission behind Nguyen’s salon, however, goes beyond saving the environment. Years ago, Nguyen’s sister-in-law, who worked in nail salons for over 15 years, discovered that her baby had died in the womb when she was eight months pregnant. Nguyen believes the fetus died because her sister-in-law was exposed to toxic chemicals in salons, specifically while she was doing acrylic, or fake, nails.


The persistent chemical exposure is “a silent killer,” Nguyen says, “so whatever I can do, I do. The cost [of opening a green salon] of course is more, but the long-term effects are worth it.”

In 2007 Time magazine named the nail salon work of the worst jobs in the United States because of the toxic products used in most stores. Nevertheless, the industry for more than three times over the past ten years and rake in $ 6000000000 annually. There are currently 350,000 manicurists in the United States, 96 percent of women and 42 percent Asian and Pacific Islanders, according to industry magazine Nails. These workers are exposed to a constant dose of toxin for eight or more hours a day.

A study conducted in the Boston area by the University of Massachusetts, Lowell, with the nonprofit Viet-AID found that Vietnamese nail workers suffer from a host of health issues, including musculoskeletal disorders, breathing problems, headaches, and rashes. Though the U.S. government sets chemical exposure levels, the regulations aren’t protecting workers, according to Cora Roelofs, the study’s lead author.

“These workers are clearly overexposed,” Roelofs says. “The [Occupational Safety and Health Administration] exposure limits are irrelevant in this work environment for many reasons—they are outdated, don’t add together different chemicals that have the same effect, don’t account for skin absorption, and were never meant to be protective against the myriad acute health effects experienced by these workers.”

One of the most toxic chemicals found in the salons of carcinogen formaldehyde. Other toluene and dibutyl phthalate, toxins that cause birth defects and miscarriages. They are all volatile organic compounds, which means that they evaporate into the air and nail salon workers to inhale them.



Some former employees have become lawyers. Alicia Chang, a former manicure which is now part of the study group with Asian Health Services and the Northern California Cancer Center. Chan works parlor to convince workers to take part in the project, which entails wearing an air sign monitor, test for chemicals in the air.
Tran became an advocate after she was sent to the emergency room twice within two months. Both times, she was working on someone’s nails when her face and hands went numb. The second time Tran went to the hospital, the doctor who attended to her recommended that she leave her job.

“I quit two weeks later,” Tran says.

Tran hopes that her research will prove to nail salon workers that their jobs put their health at risk. She says advocating can be tricky—she can’t just tell people to leave their jobs because many have limited English skills and lack other options. And even if workers are concerned about chemicals, Tran says, they often fear that speaking up or asking to wear gloves will cause them to lose their jobs.

To ensure the safety of nail salon workers, advocates believe that the government should intervene to regulate manufacturers, including a ban more harmful chemicals such as the European Union sdelal.Promyshlennosti U.S. cosmetics are allowed to sell products, not even tested for safety, as well as manufacturers use of known toxins, which they claim are safe in small doses.

There is currently no certification of green nail salons in the U.S., although groups such as the Asian Law Forum are trying to set the standard in California and Seattle, the group is to establish standards within King County EnviroStars in the green business program.

Without more laws to protect workers, more research into chemical exposure, and standards for green salons, people will have to rely on their own senses—and on entrepreneurs like Nguyen, whose goal isn’t just to make a living, but also to make a statement.