Over 100,000 Nail Salon Workers in California Could be Exposed to Toxic Chemicals

According to the Los Angeles Times, there are approximately 120,000 licensed nail technicians who work in some 48,000 nail salons across California.  This information was part of an article published by the newspaper in May that looked into working conditions and potential chemical exposure risks faced by these workers.  Chemical exposure concerns for nail salon workers were also brought to the public’s attention earlier in the year in an article published in the New York Times.  

The Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) has published information about these health hazards on their website along with the downloadable document, Stay Healthy and Safe While Giving Manicures and Pedicures. It provides information about how chemicals found in nail salons can get into a worker’s body by breathing fumes, vapors, dusts or mists and by getting products on their skin or in their eyes.

OSHA lists a number of potentially hazardous chemicals that may be present in nail salons, including:
•    Acetone
•    Acetonitrile
•    Butyl Acetate
•    Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP)
•    Ethyl Acetate
•    Ethyl Methacrylate (EMA)
•    Formaldehyde
•    Isopropyl Acetate
•    Methacrylic Acid
•    Methyl Methacrylate (MMA)
•    Quaternary Ammonium Compounds 
•    Toluene

“For most people who only occasionally visit a nail salon, exposure to chemicals used at these establishments is likely brief, but nail salon workers may be exposed to potentially hazardous chemicals all day long,” said Michael Chapman, Laboratory Manager at LA Testing’s Garden Grove facility.  “Exposure to some of these chemicals can have an immediate impact on some people and others can cause issues over time.  At LA Testing, we offer air sampling supplies and analytical services to identify a wide range of chemical pollutants.  These services can help prevent exposure and identify situations where simple changes, like increasing ventilation and fresh air, could make all the difference.” 

LA Testing also recently sponsored an educational video about nail salons and chemical exposure concerns that can be seen at: http://youtu.be/pR-S93VOaTY.

To learn more about this or other indoor environmental quality, occupational, health and safety issues, please visit www.LATesting.com, email info@LATesting.com or call (800) 755-1794.  

About LA Testing 
LA Testing is California’s leading laboratory for air quality testing of asbestos, mold, lead, VOCs, formaldehyde, soot, char, ash and smoke damage, particulates and other chemicals.  In addition, LA Testing offers a full range of air sampling and investigative equipment to professionals and the general public. LA Testing maintains an extensive list of accreditations including: AIHA LAP LLC., AIHA ELLAP, AIHA EMLAP and AIHA IHLAP, NVLAP, CDC ELITE, State of California, State of Hawaii Department of Health and other states.  LA Testing, along with the EMSL Analytical, Inc. network, has multiple laboratories throughout California including South Pasadena, Garden Grove, San Leandro and San Diego.
 

Contact Information

Joseph Frasca

Senior Vice President of Marketing

LA Testing

(1) (856) 303-2503

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