Tuesday 13 March 2012

Poison Nails – What? A Cosmetologist should know


Toluene. Butyl acetate. Ethyl acetate. Dibutyl phthalate. Four common ingredients in nail polish, four common health hazards. If ingested (swallowed or inhaled by accident, one hopes), in large enough amounts, they can cause any of the following: eye irritation and possible eye damage, nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain, chest pain, shortness of breath, balance problems, coma. They can also cause cancer in the long run.

If you’re a cosmetologist with a proper cosmetology license, you shouldn’t worry. Proper training in health hazards and health issues are provided in cosmetology CE (continuing education) from cosmetology schools like Cosmetologycampus.com, a top provider of online training for cosmetology professionals. Practicing cosmetology is no nail-biter if you’ve got the right knowledge at your fingertips.


If any of these symptoms manifests itself, bring the victim to a hospital immediately. The amount of poison ingested determines how well the patient recovers. The faster he or she gets emergency medical care, the better the odds of recovery. Nail polish usually comes in small bottles, so lethal poisoning is highly unlikely in cases of accidental ingestion. This, mind you, shouldn’t be an excuse not to get immediate medical help.

Beauticians working in poorly ventilated nail salons are in danger of inhaling too much nail-polish fumes, which can cause "painter syndrome." It’s a permanent condition, unfortunately, characterized by balance problems, speech problems, and memory loss.

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