Health Risks to Vietnamese Nail Salon Workers: Are they being 'glossed over'?

Health risks to Vietnamese nail salon workers: Are they being ‘glossed over’?

Read the original article in the Examiner

BY SIAN WU
Examiner Contributor

Tien Tran’s decision to make her own nail salon in the Central District spacious and well-ventilated is the result of having to endure years of working in highly fumed nail salons -— an uncomfortable workplace that she felt was taking a toll on her health.

“I wasn’t aware it was affecting me because I got kind of immune to it, but later on I just felt more and more fatigued and irritable.” she says. “My doctor said that it could be because of the fumes, and if I wanted to do something about it, I’d have to either change my situation or get rid of the fumes.”

Her ventilation system at Couture Nails & Spa is on at all times, and she makes sure to cap the products tightly between each use. She believes these steps make a difference, and says her customers appreciate it. “The main thing is the air quality. People don’t want to spend a lot of time in a salon that smells so much.”

The fumes in a nail salon are often unbearable for its customers, but that temporary anxiety doesn’t compare to the perpetual discomfort of nail salon workers, who have to breathe the fumes day in and day out. A majority of those nail salon technicians are Vietnamese women, who have made a niche out of this industry. As a result, the health hazards associated with the dangerous chemicals in these products also affect the population of Vietnamese women disproportionately.

That’s one of the reasons why the Missoula Montana-based group Women’s Voices for the Earth recently published the report “Glossed Over: Health Hazards Associated with Toxic Exposure in Nail Salons,” which examines the health effects of the chemicals formaldehyde, toluene and dibutyl phthalate — potentially harmful chemicals that have been related to miscarriage, respiratory disease and reproductive abnormalities.

The report found that pregnant women are particularly vulnerable, because the chemicals can lead to developmental disorders in infants. A survey in the report found that many Vietnamese women simply quit their jobs when they become pregnant, to avoid health risks to the baby. The language barrier makes it all the more difficult for nail technicians to improve their work situation, since important safety information is not required to be translated into Vietnamese, or any other language.

Many consumers are getting increasingly worried about the possible toxic health effects of chemicals in nail products. Last year, the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics launched a letter campaign targeting nail product companies who refused to sign onto their campaign, which advocated for the removal of hazardous chemicals.

As consumers and health and environmental groups continued to raise awareness, leading cosmetics companies started removing the chemicals. Just last week OPI, the number one nail product provider for salons across the country, announced that it has begun removing toluene, a hazardous solvent, from some of their lines. This came on the heels of an announcement last spring that they would begin removing dibutyl phthalate. The reformulated products are not available immediately, but should be available to the public within a few months.

“This recent move is an example of the good faith efforts of manufacturers in removing toxic ingredients in response to consumer and community based activism,” said Alexandra Gorman, director of Science and Research at Women’s Voices for the Earth. “We don’t think salons are dangerous for customers. Taking chemicals like toluene out of these products are great for everyone, but it’s really the workers, who are working with the chemicals all day every day, who have the most concentrated dose, and are most at risk.”

Unlike the medicines and food that go in our bodies, the FDA does not review or approve cosmetics before they go on the market. Instead the FDA relies on its Cosmetics Voluntary Registration Program, which allows cosmetics manufacturers to voluntarily report to the FDA adverse reactions to their products.

Because of the lack of regulation at the federal or state level, salon workers must take it upon themselves to protect their workers. But not all salon owners are as conscientious as Tien Tran. Many salon owners suspect that these nail care products contain hazardous chemicals — their dizzy spells or eye irritation are a sure sign — but trust that if the product is available for the general public, it must be safe.

California has moved forward on legislation to inform the public about hazardous chemicals in nail care and cosmetics products, and similar legislation, the Washington Safe Cosmetics Act of 2007, has been proposed in Washington, but it is not likely to pass this year. The passage of the act would result in better notification of consumers and employees of toxic chemicals, and the health department could require manufacturers to provide data on possible health hazards associated with chemicals.

The Environmental Coalition of South Seattle (ECOSS) has been promoting environmental issues with businesses for over a decade. “We are encouraged that more and more companies are realizing that consumers care about how the products they buy affect their health and the environment,” said Charlie Cuniff, executive director. They will be working with local government agencies and the group Community Coalition for Environmental Justice to help the local nail salon industry make the transition to less toxic products.

Couture Nails & Spa is located at 1920 Yesler Way in the Central District.

The report “Glossed Over” made several recommendations to eliminate the harmful exposure to thousands of young women employed in the nail salon industry:

• Reformulate nail salon products to take out toxic ingredients.

• Provide nail salon technicians with better safety information on toxic exposure.

• Improve ventilation in nail salons

• Pass national legislation to prevent the use of toxic chemicals in cosmetic products.

• Conduct more research on long term effects of low-level exposure to chemicals found in nail salons.

To look up the safety ratings of different cosmetics and brands, visit the online database Skin Deep: www.ewg.org/reports/skindeep. To see a copy of the report, go to www.womenandenvironment.org.

Read the original article from the International Examiner.

Learn more about the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics

Read more media stories about WVE