Reproductive and Respiratory Hazards Associated with Different Nail Salon Services

Details

• Personal Author:
  Anderson, Kimberly R.
• Description:
  Nail salon exposures are complex and can vary depending on the types of manicures performed and the products used. Previous exposure assessments have focused on acrylic manicures or general salon spaces, without considering the differences in product formulations from different services. The objective of this study was to assess respiratory and reproductive hazards generated during four different nail services (gel, dip, traditional lacquer, and acrylic manicures) using controlled laboratory studies. Volatile organic compound (VOC) exposures to 22 individual compounds were measured in the breathing zone using a direct-reading FTIR (Gasmet, Inc.) during simulated manicures in an exposure chamber. Three brands were assessed for each manicure type to evaluate differences in chemical formulations across manufacturers. Four replicates for each type of manicure and brand were conducted for a total of 48 trials. VOCs varied significantly between the different types of manicures. Acrylic manicures had higher concentrations of butyl and ethyl acrylate compared to other types, while isopropanol concentrations were highest for gel, dip, and lacquer manicures. Acrylic manicures also had higher exposures to formaldehyde geometric mean (GM) = 0.17 ppm compared to dip (GM = 0.01 ppm), gel (GM = 0.004 ppm), and lacquer (GM = 0.002 ppm) manicures. However, benzene exposures were higher for gel and dip manicures (GM = 0.18 and 0.16 ppm, respectively) compared to acrylic manicures (GM = 0.04 ppm). During acrylic and dip manicures, peak exposures for formaldehyde (GM = 0.9 and 0.2 ppm, respectively) exceeded the NIOSH short-term exposure limit (STEL) of 0.1 ppm. Acrolein and 1,3-butadiene also had peak exposures (GM = 2 and 6.3 ppm, respectively) that surpassed the STELs of 0.3 and 5 ppm during acrylic manicures. For gel and lacquer manicures, only peak acrolein exposures exceeded the STEL of 0.3 ppm. The elevated short-term exposures suggest a need for direct-reading exposure measurements capable of capturing peak exposures. This study provides valuable insights into the respiratory and reproductive hazards faced by workers in nail salons during different types of manicure services and emphasizes the importance conducting task-based exposure assessments to better understand the health risks associated with these salon procedures. Description provided by NIOSH
• Subjects:
  • Occupational Exposure
  • Occupational Health
  • Respiratory System
  • Safety
  • Urogenital System
  • Volatile Organic Compounds
• Keywords:
  • Nail technicians; Chemical hazards; Occupational exposure; Respiratory health; Reproductive hazards; Volatile organic compounds; VOCs
• Source:
  Birth Defects Res 2025 May; 117(Suppl 1):S60
• ISSN:
  2472-1727
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Abstract or Summary
• Place as Subject:
  Philadelphia Region OSHA ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  RHD - Respiratory Health Division
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  2 pdf pages
• Volume:
  117
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20071552
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2025
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/259327/cdc_259327_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 2.04 MB]
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:01b295445c538e7b8a4c3a85751f6a84abe53691e8a4a15a9049568194b1d41ba1356f95758898745a70ee3be98677617618283b3e3f9b04b3fc9d564732db16