Toxic Polish Dangers: Study Finds High levels of Toxic Chemicals in Popular Nail Polishes

Some nail polishes commonly found in salons and advertised as free of chemicals actually have high levels of agents known to cause birth defects, according to California chemical regulators.

A Department of Toxic Substances Control report released Tuesday determined that the mislabeled nail products have the potential to harm thousands of women who work in more than 48,000 nail salons in California and their customers.

Investigators chose 25 brands at random, including a number of products claiming to be free of the chemicals toluene, dibutyl phthalate (DBP) and formaldehyde, which are known as the “toxic trio.”

“There’s short-term health effects such as rashes, watering eyes or coughing and wheezing,” said Lisa Fu, outreach and program director at the California Healthy Nail Salon Collaborative.