Posted: Wednesday, October 25, 2006 7:00 pm
Dear EarthTalk: Does using nail polish pose any environmental or human health risks?
— Deborah Lynn, Milford, Conn.
Conventional nail polishes sold at most drugstores and nail salons contain a witch’s brew of chemicals, including toluene, which has been linked to a wide range of health issues from headaches and eye, ear, nose and throat irritation to nervous system disorders and damage to the liver and kidneys.
Another common yet toxic ingredient in nail polish is a chemical plasticizer known as dibutyl phthalate (DBP). According to the Environmental Working Group, a non-profit research and advocacy organization, studies have linked DBP to underdeveloped genitals and other problems in newborn boys.
As such, DBP is banned from cosmetics in the European Union, but the Food and Drug Administration has taken no such action, although a recent study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found DBP and other toxic phthalates in the bloodstreams of every person they tested.
Five percent of women tested who were of childbearing age had up to 45 times more of the chemicals in their bodies than researchers had expected to find.
EWG attributes the prevalence of DBP in young women to widespread use of nail polish.
“Women of childbearing age should avoid all exposure to DBP when they’re considering becoming pregnant, when they’re pregnant, or when they’re nursing,” says Jane Houlihan, EWG’s vice president for research.
Safer nail polishes are available at natural health and beauty supply stores and from online outlets such as Natural Solutions and Infinite Health Resources. These products, from such makers as Honeybee Gardens, PeaceKeeper, Jerrie, Visage Naturel and Sante, use minerals and plant extracts.
Major nail polish manufacturers also are now getting in on the act. According to the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, a coalition of organizations that includes EWG and the Breast Cancer Fund, Avon, Estee Lauder, Revlon and L’Oreal said last year they would begin removing DBP from products. And leading drugstore brand Sally Hansen has said it is reformulating all of its products to remove DBP and toluene as well as formaldehyde, which also is known to cause cancer and reproductive problems.
Exposure to toxic chemicals is not the only health concern associated with nail salons, where nail fungus and bacteria can lurk on the underside of any emery board. Customers should check salons for cleanliness before signing up for services.
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