TOXIC BEAUTY Health and Safety of Vietnamese Nail Salon Workers in Southern California

A SUMMARY REPORT MAY 2011

NO MORE!

THE NAIL SALON INDUSTRY AND WORKPLACE HEALTH AND SAFETY

Table 1: Demographics and work history of workers surveyed

Average age of respondents

English fluency Notveryfluent Somewhatfluent Veryfluent

Primary language spoken at home

Gender

Position at salon Worker/Stationrenter Manager Owner

Years worked in the nail salon industry Lessthan12months Between1and4years Between5and9years Between10and20years

41yearsold

49%44%7%

Vietnamese

93%female

93%1%7%

14%46%20%7%

Thenailsalonindustryisoneofthecountry’sfastestgrowingindustriesemployingnearly375,000nailtechniciansandgeneratingapproximately6billiondollarsinannualsalesrevenue.1,2InthestateofCalifornia,thereareapproximately115,000nailsalontechnicians.3Vietnameserefugeesandimmigrantscompriseapproximately60-80%ofnailsalonworkersinthestate;mostofthemareVietnamesewomenofchildbearingage.4,5

Thisindustrytakesaphysicaltollontheworkerswhohandlemultipletoxicchemicalsforlonghourseveryday.Thesechemicalsare linked tomanyhealthproblems, includingskin,eyeand throat irritations, respiratorycomplications,cancer,andreproductiveharm.6,7Workersalsoexperienceotherhealthandsafetyhazardssuchaspoorergonomicsandwork-relatedstress.

Poor government oversight of chemical production,manufacturers’ lackofaccountability toworkers’health,andlackofculturallyandlinguisticallyappropriatehealthwarningsandeducationmaterialsleaveworkersvulnera-bletooccupationalhealthandsafetyrisksthatimpactthehealthandwell-beingof theworkers, their families, thelargerVietnamesecommunity,andfuturegenerations.

ABOUT THE STUDYIn thesummerof2010, theCollaborativeconductedacommunityneedsassessmentwithVietnamesenailsa-lonworkersinSouthernCalifornia,hometothelargestVietnameseAmericanpopulationintheUnitedStates.8 Seventy-three nail salon workers shared about theirworking conditions and health experiences. Table 1summarizes their demographic information and workhistory.Additionally,fiveworkersparticipatedinafocusgroupandfourworkerswereindividuallyinterviewedin-person.

Thefollowingareinitialstepsthatcanbetakentoimprovethehealthandsafetyofnailsalonworkers:

RECOMMENDATIONS TO IMPROVE NAIL SALON WORKER HEALTH AND SAFETY

”“Companies need to do research to develop products that won’t

impact our health

1Community advocates and organizations Provideculturallyappropriateoutreachand

educationwithinthenailsaloncommunity. Buildtheleadershipofworkersandownersto

provideandpromotebetterworkplacesandcreatemeaningfulchangesintheindustry.

Supportsalonownerstoadoptgreenbusinesspracticesandenforcefairlaborlaws.

Shareinformationwithotherorganizationsandethnicmediatoshareinformationabouthealthandsafetyinformationinthenailsaloncommunity.

Advocateandsupportbettergovernmentoversightofcosmeticmanufacturerstoproduceproductsthatarelesstoxictoworkersandconsumers.

2Nail salon owners, beauty supply stores and cosmetology schools Attendhealthandsafetytrainingstounderstand

howtomakeyourworkplacesafer,andprovidetrainingstoyourworkers,employeesandstudents.

Protectthehealthofworkersandcustomersbyusinglesstoxicproductsinyourbusinessandimprovingairquality.

Supportandencouragetheuseofpersonalprotectiveequipment,includingnitrileglovesandN-95masks.

Practiceandsupportfairlaborlawsandgreenbusinesspracticesforasaferandhealthierworkplace.

Understandandpracticetheappropriateclassificationofyourworkersasindependentcontractorsoremployees.

3Cosmetics Industry EnsurethatMaterialSafetyDataSheets(MSDS)

ofnailproductsaremademoreeasytounderstandandtranslatedintomultiplelanguages

Supportresearchonmoresafealternativesforchemicalsofconcerninnailproducts

Engageothermembersofthecosmeticsindustrytodiscusssaferproducts

4Local, state and federal agencies and policymakers GovernmentagenciessuchastheBoardof

BarberingandCosmetologyshouldprovidemoreculturallyappropriatestaffingandinformationthatisaccessibletothenailsaloncommunity.

Requirein-languageinformationonlesstoxicsalonproductsanddisinfectingproducts,healthandsafetyinformation,andMSDSforms.

Updateandenforcelaborprotectionsandguidelinesspecifictothenailsalonindustryandworforce.

SupportthepassageoftheFederalSafeCosmeticsAct(scheduledforreviewin2011)tofullysharechemicalcontentinallcosmeticproducts.

Provideincentivesandrecognitionforsmallbusinessesthatadoptagreenbusinessesmodelandaddressworkers’healthandsafetyinthenailsalons.

Requiremanufacturerstousetheprecautionaryprincipleinwhichproductswithchemicalsthathaveunsafe,questionableorunknownhealthimpactsareprohibitedfromenteringthemarket.

5Researchers Conductresearchontheshort-andlong-term

healthofnailsalonworkers. Researchthereproductiveandotherhealth

effectsofdailyandlong-termexposuretomultiplechemicalsinthenailsalons.

Utilizeacommunity-basedparticipatoryresearchframeworkthatengagesthenailsaloncommunityintheresearchprocessandincludestheirleadershipinfollow-upstrategiesandcampaignstoaddressthefindings.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: The California Healthy Nail Salon Collaborative would like to thank the nail salon workers who shared their experiences and stories with us for this project. Additional thanks go to Duyen Tran, Viet Nguyen, Ingrid Zubieta, Kevin Riley, Lisa Fu, Tam Nguyen, Linh Nguyen, Lucy Huynh, Saba Waheed, Jacqueline Tran, Tuan Nguyen, Vinh Luu, Kim Irish, Mary Anne Foo, Kathy Nguyen, Vi Nguyen, Tiffany Nguyen, Tammy Peng, and May Fu.

Graphic Design: Ashley Uyeda. Photo credits: CA Healthy Nail Salon Collaborative, Lenh Tsan, Heather Sarantis

FOOTNOTES: 1. Nails Magazine. 2010-2011 NAILS Big Book. Torrance, CA, USA: NAILS; 2010. 2. Dominican University of California and CA Healthy Nail Salon Collaborative. Mapping the Nail Care Industry: Personal Care Industry Information and Profiles of Leading Cosmetics, Beauty Store, and Nail Care Product Companies; 2010. 3. Stacy Meza, Administration Manager. BBC, E-mail to Tina Ling, Asian Law Caucus, March 26, 2009. 4. Sheriff RL: Policy Matters: Pedicures at what price? In: Policy Matters. Sacramento, CA: Senate Office of Research; 2008. 5. Federman, M. N., Harrington, D. E., & Krynski, K. J. (2006). Vietnamese manicurists: Are immigrants displacing natives or finding new nails to polish? Industrial & Labor Relations Review, 59, 302–318. 6. Quach T, Nguyen KD, Doan-Billings PA, Okahara L, Fan C, Reynolds P. A preliminary survey of Vietnamese nail salon workers in Alameda County, California. J Community Health. Oct 2008;33(5):336-343. 7. Roelofs, C., Lenore, A., Holcraft, C., Nguyen, H., & Doan, T. (2008). Results from a Community-based Occupational Health Survey of Vietnamese-American Nail Salon Workers. Journal of Immigrant Minority Health 8. Federman, M. N., Harrington, D. E., & Krynski, K. J. (2006). Vietnamese manicurists: Are immigrants displacing natives or finding new nails to polish? Industrial & Labor Relations Review, 59, 302–318.

”“We sit in the salon all day and breath in what is in the air in the

salon. Of course everyone is going to get sick at some point

35

30

25

20

15

10

5

0

Percentage

Allergies

Nose,eye,throatirritation

Chronicpains

Skinirritation

Anxiety

Stre

ssCoughing

BreathingComplication

ReproductiveProblem

sBirthDefects

Cancer

Nausea

Health Problems Reported In the Nail Salons*

Workers experience physical health-related problems when working with nail products in the workplace. Allergies, nose, eye, and throat irritations,chronicpains,skinirritation,andcoughingwereamongthetopsymptomsworkersreporttheyhaveexperiencedsinceworkinginthenailsalons.Asoneworkerdescribes,“Work-inginthenailprofession,mynosehasallergiestothechem-icalsinthenailproducts.Justsittingdowntodonails,mynosehurtsandmyheadhurtssomuchthatIcan’tbearit.” Daily use of toxic chemicals in nail care products poses possible reproductive health risks and concerns.Themajorityofworkerssurveyed(68%)arebetweenthechildbearingagesof16and44yearsold.Theyallexpressconcernthatchemicalexposureinsalonsmaycausere-productiveharmtopregnantworkers.Ofthosesurveyed,10%ofthetechniciansreporthavingworkedinthenailsa-lonswhilepregnantand8%percentknowanotherworkerwhoexperiencedcomplicationssuchasdifficultyconceiv-ing,miscarriages,stillbirths,andbirthdefects.

Nail salon workers reported ergonomic health concerns. Inthefocusgroupdiscussionandinterviews,workers identified chronic pain, carpal tunnel syndrome,fatigue,bodyaches,andvisionproblemsthattheyfeelarerelated to repetitive bending, leaning, filing, buffing, andstaringintoharshlightsforlongperiodsoftime.Ergonomicpainadds toand furtheraggravates thealreadyexistinghealthconditions thatworkersexperience fromchemicalexposure.

WORKPLACE ENVIRONMENT IMPACTS THE PHYSICAL AND ERGONOMIC HEALTH OF WORKERS

1

COMMUNITY FINDINGS

Workers worry about their health and limited access to medical care. More thanhalf (54%)of therespondentsreportthattheydonothavehealthinsuranceand pay out-of-pocket to visit the doctor and purchasemedications. While workers experience health problemsfromworkinginthenail industry,their lowwagesarenotenoughforthemtoaffordtreatmentforwork-relatedhealthproblems.Oneworkershared,“IwassickinthehospitalandIendeduppayingformyvisit…Ihavenothadinsur-anceforthepast10yearsorso.Idonotbuymedicineorgotoseethedoctorsunlessitisreallyserious.”

Workers desire more workplace health and safety information to protect them from chemical exposure. Manufacturersandbeautysuppliersarerequiredbylawto provideMaterial SafetyDataSheets (MSDS),whichsharehealthandsafetyinformationabouttheirproducts,howevermostworkershavenotseenanMSDSanddo

not understand how to read them. Only 22% haveeverreceivedanMSDSforanailproduct(top

coat,basecoat,orpolish),andover90%wanttolearnmoreaboutchemicalsinthesalonandtheirhealtheffects.

WORKERS ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THEIR WORKPLACE ENVIRONMENT AND WANT A SAFER, HEALTHIER WORKPLACE

3WORKERS REPORT ANXIETY AND STRESS RELATED TO WORKPLACE EXPERIENCES

2

Lack of job security within the nail salon community is a major stressor. Theeconomic re-cessionhasresultedinfewercustomers,salonsclosingdownandincreasedunemployment.Jobinsecuritymakeshealth and safety in theworkplace less of a priority asworkerssufferhigherstresslevelsabouttheireconomiclivelihoodandabilitytokeeptheir jobs.Theexpectationtoquicklyaccommodatecustomerswhilethoroughlyfol-lowing health and safety precautions can be difficult tobalance.

Negative experiences with government regulatory agencies increase workplace stress and anxiety. Workers shared that experiences with the CaliforniaBoardofBarberingandCosmetology(BBC)isasourceof excessiveanxiety in the salons. TheBBCgrants li-censestonailsalonworkers,setsrulesandregulationsforhowsalonsoperate,andperformsrandominspectionandcitations insalons. Workersreport thatBBC’s lackofsufficientVietnamese-speakingstaffandVietnamese-languagematerials result inmiscommunicationsandmisunderstandings aboutBBC rules and regu-lations.Asoneworkersaid inan interview,“BBC inspectors do not talk to us whentheycomein.Theymakeusscaredand

nervous, and then we become vulnerable formistakesthatwewouldnotnormallymake if theyweren’there…[T]hat is not helpful at all, because it always feels sothreatening.”Thiscancreatetenseandstressfulinterac-tionswithinspectorswhovisitthesalons,whichcanoftenresultinexcessivefineswithoutanyexplanationoreduca-tion.

”“It is our RIGHT to ask for

safety protections

*Collectedfromsurveys

Workers want to be proactive about improving the health

and safety of their workplace. Nearly all of the workers surveyed

(88%)wanttolearnmoreaboutworkplacehealthandsafetyandmeetotherswithsimilarexperiences. Almost all (92%) are willing tobuy and use less toxic products in their sa-lons toprotect themselves fromexposure totoxicchemicalsandalsoholdcosmeticcom-panies accountable. An enthusiastic workershared,“Iamexcitedaboutmakingtheindustryhealthier.”