Toxic Fingers

The Effects of Nail Polish Ingredients

Autumn Jones has been working as a freelance writer for the past four years. Her writing has appeared on eHow.com and travels.com. She wrote her first piece of fiction at the age of seven, majored in creative writing at Vassar college, and continues to pursue her passion for the written word as much as possible.
By Autumn Jones,eHow Contributor
The Effects of Nail Polish Ingredients

There's nothing like a pair of well-manicured hands. Glowing, smooth fingernails, chip-free color and nicely trimmed cuticles can signify class, glamor and maybe a little bit of wealth. Unfortunately, nail polish causes more than admiring glances. Regular commercial polish is full of dangerous chemicals that pose serious health threats to humans.

1.Toluene
Toluene is used as a solvent in nail polish, meaning that it dissolves other chemicals to create a solution. It's a dangerous chemical that causes birth defects in animals, affects the central nervous system and is fatal if swallowed.

2.Formaldehyde
Formaldehyde is another solvent with a hefty health risk attached: It's a known carcinogen, which means that it causes cancer, no question. The fumes of formaldehyde are irritating to mucus membranes in the eyes, nose and throat.

3.Ethyl Acetate
Ethyl acetate evaporates from the nail, which causes the polish to dry and harden. This means that you're breathing in the fumes from the chemical as your manicure sets. This solvent can pass through the skin, and prolonged exposure to the fumes can lead to lung, heart, kidney, and liver damage.

4.Butyl Acetate
Butyl acetate is also a solvent used in nail polishes; it's toxic, and causes irritation to eyes, skin and lungs.

5.Dibutyl Phthalate
Phthalates are easily absorbed chemicals that keep nail polish chip-free. The European Union has banned them, but they're legal in the United States. They're linked to early puberty in girls, low sperm count in men, sexual deformities and problems with fetal development.

6.Phthalic Anhydride
Dibutyl phthalate is often replaced with phthalic anhydride, which isn't much better. This chemical is also a major health concern. It may be toxic to human immune and respiratory systems, and can cause cancer, organ damage, and membrane irritation.

7. (Personal Addition)--It stinks, acetone is horrible on nails and has it's own host of side effects.
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Why am I sharing this? Because I just had a debate with someone over Volatile Organic Compounds, which prompted me to research my reasoning for nail polish. There are alternatives. They are a bit pricier. That seems to be the way it is with so much these days....
*Deep sigh* I love my nails anyway.

The guy retorted saying essentially, "You are going to die one way or another. You may as well just live. These environmental regulations are being put in place to control the people."

My mental response, "The quality of the life you lead will determine your experiences and interactions with life. If you ask for little, you will receive little. If you ask for much, much will be given, but much will be required of you. So either step up and make sure you are well taken care of, or step down and someone will still control your life--indirectly, but they will. And by step up I mean actively pursue good things (e.g. healthy foods and activities) or be bombarded with everything and wind up a product of what you observe and interact with. It is a complex ideology that seems to be old fashioned, but with everything I have observed, sometimes old fashioned shouldn't be considered old at all.


Anyway, I have work to do. Word of advice: Never eat stale organic tortilla chips. Even if they taste fine. If they smell stale, throw them out!!!!!

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