Are you a nail polish-aholic? Do you find yourself applying a new colour every week? If you are guilty of this addiction, there are some things you should know about these luscious lacquers before you get too carried away.
Have you ever heard of the “toxic trio1”? It is a phrase used to identify three of the most harmful chemicals found in your typical bottle of nail polish. They include toluene, formaldehyde, and dibutyl phthalate1. Each of these chemicals is put into nail polish for a specific reason but they all have the potential to pose as a great health risk to those who come into contact with them. Let take a closer look at what these chemicals are capable of…
Today we will focus on toluene, which is a clear and colourless liquid that has a distinctive, slightly sweet and very pungent odor2. The reason it is put into nail polish is to prevent the colouring agent from separating out from the other ingredients into distinctive layers in the bottle3. A similar process of how oil and vinegar separate from each other when left still. Toluene is also the ingredient that gives nail polish the smooth, glossy finish that we all know and love4.
So far it seems harmless don’t you think? Let’s take a deeper look into the hidden secrets of toluene…
In addition to being used in nail polishes, toluene is frequently used as an industrial solvent and as an additive in gasoline4! It is even extracted from crude oil4. Who would have guessed something like that would be put into nail polish!? …Not me! As you may have guessed by now, toluene is also associated with a swath of adverse health effects. Those who are constantly exposed to toluene in its liquid state are at risk of developing extremely dry skin as the chemical removes the natural lipids in the skin, resulting in a condition called defatting dermatitis5. When exposed to the fumes they are also likely to experience respiratory irritation and weepy eyes5. In the most extreme cases where people are chronically exposed to toluene, such as nail technicians working in a salon, there is a risk of central nervous system depression5. This means that they would experience symptoms such as dizziness, memory loss, headache, fatigue, muscular weakness, collapse, and even a coma if the dose is high enough5.
Having said this, there is evidence stating that home users are not at risk of developing these extreme symptoms6. You should still be careful though and make sure there is adequate ventilation when you are applying your next coat of ruby red! If this information has turned you off of nail polish, do not despair, there are alternatives. Natural nail polishes do exist7. Check out this link to find out more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/non-toxic-nail-polish.html#ixzz2Klskmx6O
Check in tomorrow to learn more about the toxic trio!
References:
[1] Quach, T. Health risks beneath the painted beauty in America's nail salons. http://theconversation.com/health-risks-beneath-the-painted-beauty-in-americas-nail-salons-41660 (Accessed October 25, 2016).
[2] Toluene. PubChem Compound Database [Online]; National Center for Biotechnology Information, (no date posted). https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/toluene#section=Top (accessed October 25, 2016).
[3] Moossavi, M., & Scher, R. K. Nail care products. Clinics in dermatology [Online] 2001, 19(4), 445-448. Science Direct. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0738-081X(01)00203-6 (accessed October 22, 2016).
[4] Toluene biodegration using jet loop reactor. http://www.worldofchemicals.com/422/chemistry-articles/toluene-biodegration-using-jet-loop-reactor.html (accessed October 26, 2016), World of Chemicals
[5] Toluene MSDS; CAS No. 108-88-3 [Online]; Sciencelab.com, Inc: Houston, Texas, May 21, 2013. http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9927301 (accessed October 25, 2016).
[6] Kopelovich, L., Perez, A. L., Jacobs, N., Mendelsohn, E., & Keenan, J. J. Screening-level human health risk assessment of toluene and dibutyl phthalate in nail lacquers. Food and Chemical Toxicology [Online] 2015, 81, 46-53. Science Direct. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fct.2015.04.011 (accessed October 24, 2016).
[7] Broyles, J. 12 Non-toxic nail polish brands. http://www.care2.com/greenliving/non-toxic-nail-polish.html#ixzz2Klskmx6O (accessed October 25, 2016).
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