Many of the world’s population indulge in beauty products to heighten their physical appearance, the way we look has become a large part of our world’s social structure, especially with the development of social media. Unfortunately, many fail to realise that those fake nails and sparkly polish that complete the look pose a greater threat than the little bottle implies. It is our job as people to recognise the true harm in current nail polish and seek change that could prevent people from using harmful products.
A large part of this overlooked issue is how the chemicals found in nail polish react with our bodies. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, workers may breathe in the harmful dust from the polish, get the product on their skin or in their eyes or even swallow the product if it is accidentally transferred onto food. As our bodies are exposed to these chemicals, the damages begin to appear. Extended exposure to these chemicals can lead to things such as asthma and even go so far as to hinder the individual’s ability to have children. This is especially a concern for the nail technicians who are exposed to these harsh substances for the entire workday.
Outside the salon, fake nails, such as press-ons and acrylics, often pop off and are left on the ground. These nails do not decompose and become litter that will forever remain throughout ecosystems, harming any animals that may accidentally consume them. After use, the nail polish bottles themselves are often tossed into the trash can, where they eventually are transported to dump sites. Once the bottles have arrived at the landfills, they then leak the toxic residues left inside the bottles into the soil and water sources. The Royal Society of Chemistry found that nitrate residues specifically can result from the burning of nitrated polymers. This can harm the environment, leading to problems such as water contamination which affects animals in their ecosystems.
While it is true that 85% of nail product users are females, women are the only ones affected by its use, it impacts all people as well as environments across the globe. The soil that the chemicals are infecting is often where we grow plants and food, which means we then consume those toxic materials. Also, the litter from trashed nail products and the nitrate residues can hurt animals when they ingest food and water from their own spaces.
We must put more time, effort, and resources into finding a new solution to this problem. Our world is suffering from our negligence, but we as people and countries have the resources and government power to look into this issue; it is just a matter of finding a solution before it is too late, and our world suffers irreparable damage.
