What Color Are You Today?

What color do you wear?

Pink, blue, red, black, French tip….  What color are you wearing after a visit to the nail salon?

Nail polishes that claim to be free of harsh chemicals linked to cancer, birth defects and fertility problems may contain the hazardous ingredients anyway, according to a state study released Tuesday.

Say what? They claim to be free of toxic and hazardous chemicals, but might have them anyway! Never mind the lack of state and federal enforcement, how about lawsuit?

The California Environmental Protection Agency's Department of Toxic Substances Control, in collaboration with the San Francisco Department of the Environment, the California Healthy Nail Salon Collaborative and the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, did a study last year looking for toxic chemicals in nail polish. Of course in their infinite wisdom, they decided to only sample nail polish used in nail salons in the bay area, and not over the counter products.

The toxic trio of chemicals the report focused on are considered especially dangerous additions to nail polishes. They are:

1. Formaldehyde, which is used as a preservative in nail polish, is known to cause cancer, asthma and skin problems in large enough doses, according to the state toxic substance department.

2. Toluene, which helps create a smooth look and clear colors in polishes, can cause headaches, dizziness, nausea and short-term memory loss, and it can harm fetuses and cause miscarriages.

3. Dibutyl phthalate, which gives polishes a hard but flexible finish, has been associated with reproductive problems and birth defects even in very low doses.

The chemicals are either banned or highly limited in Europe. They are legal in the United States, but they must be included on the ingredient list on nail polish labels. What? It’s okay to poison you as long as it’s listed on the label. Have you tried reading one of those ingredient lists lately. You probably need a magnifying glass and a chemical dictionary.

What is congress doing about this? Not much!

So when you go for your next salon visit, think about the salon worker who claims her breast cancer is a result of breathing all these toxic chemicals. Wouldn’t you rather have pancakes?