Tuesday, December 03, 2024

Mani-Pedi Judgment

Cleaning up browser windows, I am going to write a couple of quick blog posts. 

I am pretty laissez-faire about most things, but I am very judgmental about people who use nail salons. 

Nail salons should not exist. 

No one needs nail polish or acrylic nails. The chemicals used are not just toxic to the clients, but they poison and permanently disable the nail salon workers. 

From Nail Salon Technicians Inhale 10 Times More Chemicals Than E-Waste Workers
For a lot of people, visiting a nail salon for a manicure and pedicure is about treating themselves to a cheap but still luxurious pampering session. But for nail salon workers, it’s not only the low wages and extremely long hours while being cooped up in a small room that takes a toll on their health. A recent study found that nail technicians who work in discount salons are exposed to a wide range of chemicals that are used as flame retardants and plasticizers. 
A group of researchers from the University of Toronto found that nail salon workers’ exposure to these chemicals was 30 times higher as compared to to exposure within households from everyday products and 10 times higher than electronic waste facilities’ employees.

The damage can be cumulative and cause permanent and debilitating health damage to the workers. 

The CDC says that it also causes damage to salon workers' children

OSHA says 

Nail technicians working in salons across the United States face possible health hazards every day. Workers exposed to chemicals found in glues, polishes, removers, emollients and other salon products may experience negative health effects such as asthma and other respiratory illnesses, skin disorders (e.g. allergic contact dermatitis), liver disease, reproductive loss, and cancer. Additionally, workers often endure muscle strains from awkward positions or repetitive motions; and have a high risk for infection from contact with client skin, nails, or blood.

So, if you frequent nail salons, I am going to be judgmental. Harming other people needlessly is a major red flag.  

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