Non-toxic Nail Polishes Found to Contain Dangerous Chemicals in California

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - APRIL 30: A model has nail polish applied backstage ahead of the catwalk show on day one of Rosemount Australian Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2007/08 off-site at The Studio at the Overseas Passenger Terminal on April 30, 2007 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Kristian Dowling/Getty Images) (2007 Getty Images)

San Francisco – Nail polishes commonly found in California claiming to be free of the so-called "toxic trio" of chemicals are actually high in levels of agents linked to birth defects, says state chemical regulators.

In a report released on Tuesday, the Department of Toxic Substances Control 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 the 25 brands that were tested 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. Regulators said exposure to these types of chemicals in large amounts has been linked to developmental problems, asthma and other illnesses.

Over 80 percent of the products claiming to be free of toluene actually contained it, with 4 out of the 12 containing dangerously high levels.

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The report also found that five of seven products that claimed to be "free of the toxic three" actually included one or more of the agents in significant levels.

The agency said it did not have enough data to accurately estimate how many people were being exposed to the chemicals through the products.

"We know there are exposures at salons, both to workers and customers, and we're concerned about potential harm," said Karl Palmer, the DTSC's pollution prevention performance manager who oversaw the report.

"Our strategy first and foremost is to shed light on the reality of what's in these products and put this information out to everyone."

Among the products tested that the state says were mislabeled were: Sation 99 basecoat, Sation 53 red-pink nail color, Dare to Wear nail lacquer, Chelsea 650 Baby's Breath Nail Lacquer, New York Summer Nail Color, Paris Spicy 298 nail lacquer, Sunshine nail lacquer, Cacie Light Free Gel Basecoat, Cacie Sun Protection Topcoat, Golden Girl Topcoat, Nail Art Top-N-Seal and High Gloss Topcoat.

The DTSC says all three chemicals are linked to chronic health conditions when inhaled, and that the 121,000 licensed nail care technicians who work in the salons, many of them young Asian-American women, are most at risk.

The agency said the salons are often poorly ventilated, leading to exposure to a number of harmful chemicals.

"We are alarmed by the results of this report," Julia Liou, co-founder of the California Healthy Nail Salon Collaborative and a public health administrator for Asian Health Services, said in a statement. "The misbranding of products is not only a major public health problem, but also interferes with a salon worker's right to a safe and healthy work environment."

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While the use of the three chemicals in nail products is not illegal, agency officials said the false claims on the labels may be — but a final decision on that will be made by the state attorney general's office.

DBP has been banned in nail products in the European Union, and the EU has strict limits on the amount of formaldehyde and toluene that can be used.

"We will need to examine the data for compliance with Prop. 65 and other state laws," said Lynda Gledhill, a spokeswoman for the attorney general's office.

Proposition 65 is a state law that requires that all harmful chemicals in a product be revealed by the manufacturer.

Mike Vo, vice president of Miss Professional Nail Products, Inc., the maker of the Sation products and others on the list, said he disputed DTSC's findings.

"We will look at the report and challenge it," he said.

Based on Reporting by Jason Dearen of the Associated Press.