Is your nail polish toxic?

Today, I am writing about toxins in nail polish, an issue I care about deeply.  Many of you may not be aware that when polishing your nails, you may be exposing yourself to chemicals that have the potential to cause cancer and birth defects.  Specifically, a chemical combination called the "Toxic Trio": Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP) and Formaldehyde.  Below, I will be talking about why each chemical is unhealthy.

Toluene

Toluene is most commonly found in petroleum crude oil. It is also found in some aerosol sprays, antifreeze, adhesives, printer ink, and cosmetics.  Toluene exposure occurs when it is inhaled or absorbed through skin.  It could also be ingested through contaminated food or water.

Effects on your body:
Most information we have about toluene exposure is from studies about inhalant abusers, or "huffers". Inhalants contain many other chemicals, and therefore the information is not specific to toluene.  Inhalants can cause problems with the central nervous system.  This may result in symptoms such as dizziness, headaches, and confusion. Over long periods of time, exposure to high levels of the chemicals found in inhalants can cause permanent brain damage, kidney failure,  liver failure, and even death.  Toluene by itself can be a skin irritant causing redness and itching.  No studies have shown that exposure to toluene causes cancer.

Exposure during pregnancy:
There is no data available about only exposure to toluene during pregnancy.  Much of the data about possible effects of toluene exposure during pregnancy is from studies about people who abused inhalants, or "huffers".  Therefore, this data is not just about toluene, since aerosolized sprays obviously contain other chemicals.  Those studies have shown that exposure to aerosolized chemicals may cause birth defects such as mental retardation, decreased birth weight, delayed growth, behavioral delays and hearing loss.  Animal studies on the effects of toluene have shown decreased birth weight, delayed growth and hearing loss.

Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP)


Dibutyl Phthalate is used to make plastics soft and flexable. It is found in many plastics such as shower curtains, food wraps, bowls, and of course nail polishes and cosmetics.  It has no scent.  Exposure can occur through inhalation or oral exposure.

Effects on your body:
The effects of DBP on humans are relatively unknown because there have been no studies on the direct effects of inhaled or oral DBP in humans.  Some studies on animals have shown liver problems, reduced weight, and anemia.  The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considers DBP unclassifiable as to carcinogenic effects.  This means that because there are no studies on this chemical, they cannot say whether or not it is proven to cause cancer.

Exposure during pregnancy:
Again, no studies have been conducted on humans, therefore data available about possible effects is limited to data observed in animal studies. Animal studies have shown decreased birth weight, decreased numbers of viable births (meaning the animal died in the womb secondary), neural tube defects, decreased size of testicles, and decreased production of sperm.

Formaldehyde

Formaldehyde is a strong scented clear gas which can be mixed with alcohol to create a liquid.  It is frequently used as a preservative, and I am sure many of you can remember the scent from anatomy classes.  Formaldehyde is contained in many common building materials such as particle board and insulation.  It is also found in some cosmetics, paper products, plastics, dyes, and cigarettes.

Effects on your body:
Formaldehyde inhalation can cause difficulty breathing, watery eyes, and irritation of the nose and throat.  Ingesting formaldehyde can cause vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhea. Skin contact can cause irritation and rashes.  Formaldehyde exposure has been proven to cause nasal cancers in animal studies, and therefore is considered "probably carcinogenic" to humans. There have been no human studies on whether or not formaldehyde will cause cancer in humans because they are too dangerous to conduct knowing that it is known to cause cancer in animals.

Effects during pregnancy: 
There is no evidence that Formaldehyde causes birth defects.  There is some debate as to whether exposure during pregnancy causes increased risk of spontaneous abortion and reduced fertility. There is also debate as to whether exposure causes decreased sperm concentrations.

Now, before you freak out and decide you are never going to polish your nails again, there is good news! Many nail polish and cosmetic companies are aware of the unhealthy chemicals used in cosmetics, and are now manufacturing their products without toluene, DBP and formaldehyde.  If polishes do not include these products, they are known as "3-free".  There are also products which do not include formaldehyde resin, known as "4-free", and products that do not contain formaldehyde resin or camphor, known as "5-free" Also, there is a small group of companies that manufacture water based nail lacquer.  I am working on a list of nail polishes that are in each of these categories. Check my next post for a list of safe polishes.

Are you scared to polish your nails now? Would you still polish your nails while pregnant after reading this? Do you think the government should make it illegal have these products in polishes and other cosmetics? Let me know in the comments!

Sources:

Environmental Protection Agency 
Environmental Protection Agency, DBP
Environmental Protection Agency, Formaldehyde
Canadian Center for Occupational Health and Safety 
Illinois Dept. of Public Health