Welcome to Asian Communities for Reproductive Justice

To find out more about POLISH and recent changes to the inspection process, contact Trang Nguyen - trang [at] reproductivejustice [dot] org - or check out the POLISH website.

And that’s not all! ACRJ youth leaders in our SAFIRE program have discovered, through their community research, that Asian women and girls are exposed to dangerous chemicals not only through occupational hazards, but also through everyday use of shampoo, lotion, deodorant, toothpaste and cosmetics. Youth leaders are currently researching the degree to which Asian women, girls and nail salon workers are exposed to toxins through personal use and professional occupation in the nail salon industry.

Reproductive Justice and the Nail Salon Community

Vietnamese immigrant women make up the majority of nail salon workers in California. They are drawn to this industry because there are few requirements for education and English proficiency, cosmetology training can be completed in just 10 weeks, and job opportunities spread quickly through family and community networks. With limited economic opportunities, nail salons have become a cornerstone within the Vietnamese community.

The products used in nail salons are unregulated by the cosmetics industry. They contain ingredients that we know are toxic but that have never been tested for health impacts. Workers may put in 10-hour shifts daily and are constantly exposed to these toxins. Two common ingredients in nail polish, toluene and dibutyl phthalate (DBP), have been linked to harmful impacts on a woman’s reproductive health and children’s development.

Most nail salon workers are women of reproductive age, and are vulnerable to even low levels of toxic exposure can be potentially harmful. Little research has been done on the pregnancy outcomes of nail salon workers, but stories of miscarriage, stillbirths and birth defects are not uncommon. Many women quit their jobs when they become pregnant in order to avoid toxic exposure to the fetus. With a lack of alternative economic opportunities, women are being forced to choose between working to provide for their families and ensuring that they can carry their pregnancies to term and give birth to healthy children.

The toxins in nail products can also cause acute health problems such as asthma, headache, dizziness, fatigue, and irritation to eyes and throat, especially since many salons are poorly ventilated. By law, (The Safe Cosmetics Act of 2005) manufacturers are required to provide material safety data sheets (MSDS) to their customers that outline safety information about hazardous chemicals in their products. Unfortunately, this law is rarely enforced and MSDS sheets are difficult for average nail salon worker to understand. The health impacts on some workers are so severe that they are unable to do their work safely or have to take off from work to feel better. Furthermore, nail salons are among the many industries that rely on low-wage immigrant labor in which Asian women are concentrated, which in addition to hazardous work environments have no employer-based health insurance. Therefore, even though their work environment is making workers sick, many of them have trouble accessing health care.

Nail salons and workers must be licensed and are regularly inspected, but the inspections process is obscure. Information on most fines for health and safety violations is not covered in cosmetology schools, workers are rarely updated about new regulations, and they often receive fines without being told why. Language barriers and mistreatment by inspectors exacerbates this problem. Women workers are sometimes physically harassed and violated by male inspectors who subject them – without explanation – to bodily inspections in the presence of their co-workers, employers, and customers. There is a clearly evident power dynamic between the male inspectors from state agencies and the low-wage immigrant women workers, who must struggle not only with having to pay the exorbitant fines but also the humiliation of being mistreated.

For information about how to look at your community and reproductive justice, check out our Reproductive Justice Lens Toolkit.



	POLISH POLISH is making change with the Nail Salon Community! POLISH is ACRJ’s Participatory research, Organizing and Leadership Initiative for Safety and Health. POLISH is a program where nail salon workers and owners are working together to increase reproductive justice for themselves, their families and their communities. And WE ARE WINNING! POLISH is a leading member of the California Healthy Nail Salon Collaborative. Through the work of this Collaborative and the leadership within nail salon community, amazing changes are underway. As a result of Oakland’s first nail salon community forum, the State Board of Barbering and Cosmetology has agreed to address a number of the needs described by the workers. Highlights Include: More education and less punitive approaches to inspections of nail salons. Major reductions in fines that result from inspections. Changes to the appeals process that address the needs of low-wage workers and Vietnamese speakers. To find out more about POLISH and recent changes to the inspection process, contact Trang Nguyen - trang [at] reproductivejustice [dot] org - or check out the POLISH website. And that’s not all! ACRJ youth leaders in our SAFIRE program have discovered, through their community research, that Asian women and girls are exposed to dangerous chemicals not only through occupational hazards, but also through everyday use of shampoo, lotion, deodorant, toothpaste and cosmetics. Youth leaders are currently researching the degree to which Asian women, girls and nail salon workers are exposed to toxins through personal use and professional occupation in the nail salon industry. Reproductive Justice and the Nail Salon Community Vietnamese immigrant women make up the majority of nail salon workers in California. They are drawn to this industry because there are few requirements for education and English proficiency, cosmetology training can be completed in just 10 weeks, and job opportunities spread quickly through family and community networks. With limited economic opportunities, nail salons have become a cornerstone within the Vietnamese community. The products used in nail salons are unregulated by the cosmetics industry. They contain ingredients that we know are toxic but that have never been tested for health impacts. Workers may put in 10-hour shifts daily and are constantly exposed to these toxins. Two common ingredients in nail polish, toluene and dibutyl phthalate (DBP), have been linked to harmful impacts on a woman’s reproductive health and children’s development. Most nail salon workers are women of reproductive age, and are vulnerable to even low levels of toxic exposure can be potentially harmful. Little research has been done on the pregnancy outcomes of nail salon workers, but stories of miscarriage, stillbirths and birth defects are not uncommon. Many women quit their jobs when they become pregnant in order to avoid toxic exposure to the fetus. With a lack of alternative economic opportunities, women are being forced to choose between working to provide for their families and ensuring that they can carry their pregnancies to term and give birth to healthy children. The toxins in nail products can also cause acute health problems such as asthma, headache, dizziness, fatigue, and irritation to eyes and throat, especially since many salons are poorly ventilated. By law, (The Safe Cosmetics Act of 2005) manufacturers are required to provide material safety data sheets (MSDS) to their customers that outline safety information about hazardous chemicals in their products. Unfortunately, this law is rarely enforced and MSDS sheets are difficult for average nail salon worker to understand. The health impacts on some workers are so severe that they are unable to do their work safely or have to take off from work to feel better. Furthermore, nail salons are among the many industries that rely on low-wage immigrant labor in which Asian women are concentrated, which in addition to hazardous work environments have no employer-based health insurance. Therefore, even though their work environment is making workers sick, many of them have trouble accessing health care. Nail salons and workers must be licensed and are regularly inspected, but the inspections process is obscure. Information on most fines for health and safety violations is not covered in cosmetology schools, workers are rarely updated about new regulations, and they often receive fines without being told why. Language barriers and mistreatment by inspectors exacerbates this problem. Women workers are sometimes physically harassed and violated by male inspectors who subject them – without explanation – to bodily inspections in the presence of their co-workers, employers, and customers. There is a clearly evident power dynamic between the male inspectors from state agencies and the low-wage immigrant women workers, who must struggle not only with having to pay the exorbitant fines but also the humiliation of being mistreated. For information about how to look at your community and reproductive justice, check out our Reproductive Justice Lens Toolkit.