Colorado nail salon employees face increased health risks due to high levels of indoor airborne pollutants such as formaldehyde and benzene, new CU Boulder research finds, concluding that working in a salon is akin to working at an oil refinery or an auto garage.
The new study, which monitored volatile organic compound (VOC) levels in six Colorado nail salons, is among the first to illustrate the serious health risks prevalent in the industry, where technicians commonly work long hours and report symptoms such as headaches, respiratory difficulties and skin irritation.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has determined that long-term exposure to carcinogenic compounds significantly raises the chances of developing cancers such as leukemia and Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
“The study provides some of the first hard evidence that these environments are dangerous for workers and that better policies need to be enacted to protect them,” said Lupita Montoya, lead author of the research and a research associate in CU Boulder’s Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering.
Read more at University of Colorado at Boulder
Image: CU Boulder civil, environmental and architectural engineering professor Lupita Montoya, left, and PhD candidate Aaron Lamplugh have been studying how Colorado nail salon employees are exposed to high levels of carcinogenic chemicals and possible solutions to mitigate exposure and dangers. They are photographed with a selection of tested products in their lab. (Credit: Glenn Asakawa/University of Colorado)