Many women enjoy a relaxing manicure and pedicure once in a while and it’s not surprising. Who wouldn’t want to get their tired hands and feet pampered after working so hard? It’s a plus that you leave the salon with freshly painted nails in trendy colours.
Sadly, we are now beginning to find out that one of our favourite relaxing pastimes exposes us to more risks than what most women have actually bargained for. What does it mean? A new study discovered the presence of a toxic chemical in the bodies of women who had one thing in common – they had just recently painted their nails.
This chemical is Triphenyl phosphate or TPHP which is a plasticizer that is used in flame retardants for furniture, and now we found out, in nail polishes as well. This toxic chemical was detected in the urine of all the women who volunteered to take part in the study. Apparently, this TPHP which is also suspected to be endocrine-disrupting enters the human body through the nail polish one uses. What is surprising is that 25% of the nail polish companies that used TPHP in their products did not even list the component on their labels.
TPHP IS FOUND TO CAUSE PARALYSIS IN CATS
This result is troubling because scientific data from similar studies also indicate that TPHP, because it causes endocrine disruption, interferes with normal hormonal function. In fact, in animal studies, this chemical has caused developmental, as well as reproductive irregularities. It is also found that overexposure to this chemical led to muscle weakness and eventual paralysis. In one study, when TPHP was injected into cats, it resulted in delayed paralysis and two out of six cats became paralyzed after 14 to 18 days of receiving just one “intraperitoneal injection” of this chemical in a small sample size of 0.1 to 0.4g/kg.
It is highly likely that TPHP is added to nail polish so the end product is more flexible and durable. The concentration of TPHP in the nail polishes that were studied ranged from 0.49 to 1.68 percent. Also, clear polishes in general had more of the chemical than coloured polishes.
It is true that nails are not typically permeable, but scientists believe that some solvents like nail polish remover make way for toxic ingredients like TPHP to be more readily absorbed into the body. Another point of entry for the chemicals is the network of capillaries around the nail bed.
Isn’t getting exposed to this toxic chemical too high a price to pay for colours on your nails? With the alarming results of this study, perhaps it is time that women start looking for a safer way to pamper themselves. What do you think? Should women skip the nail polish next time they are in a salon?
