AAAR 36th Annual Conference October 16 - October 20, 2017 Raleigh Convention Center Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
Abstract View
Investigation of VOC Exposure from Nail Salon Products
AARON LAMPLUGH, Feng Xiang, Janice Trinh, Elizabeth Ly, Lupita Montoya, University of Colorado Boulder
Abstract Number: 665 Working Group: Control and Mitigation Technology
Abstract Nail salon workers are frequently exposed to compounds like xylene, toluene, and formaldehyde, which are known to cause skin and eye irritation, respiratory problems, allergies, and cancer. An estimated 76% of the “Miscellaneous Personal Appearance Workers” (e.g., manicurists, pedicurists, and skin care specialists) are minority and immigrant populations. Other sources indicate that nail technicians are 97% female, most of them of reproductive age. A 2013 survey found that 40% of nail salon workers had work-related health concerns and 23% did not have medical insurance. In Colorado, there are about 2,015 nail salons, which employ around 18,559 licensed nail technicians.
Exposure to hazardous indoor air pollutants is traditionally mitigated by increasing natural ventilation or through mechanical ventilation systems. VOC removal using sorption processes is being investigated in our laboratory as an alternative control strategy. Results from previous work in our group showed the removal of formaldehyde by porous media like expanded clay, Growstone and coco coir in a series of chamber and column studies. Previous research in our group also demonstrated that the use of localized ventilation can induce fluid vectoring and increase contaminant uptake by sorption materials.
This study utilizes chamber experiments to determine baseline emission profiles from products like nail polishes and hardeners and compares them to those in the presence of sorption materials (with and without local ventilation). A field study in the Denver area nail salons is also being conducted to determine typical exposure levels experienced by nail technicians. Promising sorption materials identified during the chamber studies will then be tested in Denver nail salons.
Preliminary data from our chamber experiments indicate that typical consumer nail polishes emit VOCs on the order of 65mg TVOCs per gram of nail polish, and that certain gel type nail polishes may emit substantially fewer VOCs by mass.