Policy Recommendations to Reduce Toxic Exposures for Nail Salon Workers

Abstract

The nail salon sector is growing rapidly. Nail salon workers are predominantly Vietnamese immigrant women who are ex- posed to numerous harmful chemicals in nail care products. The situation is exacerbated by limited safety information, language barriers to information, and lack of government oversight. This brief discusses the health and safety issues faced by workers at the nexus of environmental and worker justice and the policy recommendations by which to address these issues from a public health and regulatory perspective. Although these policy recommendations pertain to California where the sector is largest, they also have far-reaching implications at the national level.