Ethical nails - how safe is your nail bar?

Sir, – The vogue for painted finger nails has given rise to a plethora of nail bars all over the country.

As someone who has worked with chemicals and supervised their use in a laboratory setting, I am conscious that I have never seen one of these nail bars with an extraction system to remove the solvents, hardeners and glues which the workers, who are typically young and foreign and therefore vulnerable, are continuously exposed to. Dust masks offer no protection against this injurious cocktail of chemicals which has been linked to serious health problems such as cancer, lung and skin diseases, miscarriages and the birth of children with learning difficulties. Where is the HSA enforcement of health and safety standards for this section of our workforce? Is it the usual case of self-regulation or in other words, the fox guarding the hen house?

The women who patronise these nail bars should force the proper treatment of these workers by voting with their feet and heading to an ethical nail bar – it’s their choice, perfect nails or poisoned workers.

– Yours, etc,

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ERICA DEVINE

Bray, Co Wicklow.