Dying for a Manicure?

Do you have an urge to paint your toenails purple? First consider this: according to the Environmental Protection Agency, chemicals commonly used in nail-care products -- toluene in nail polish, formalin and dibutyl phthalate in nail hardener, and acetone in fingernail glue remover -- can cause health problems ranging from asthma, cancer, and liver damage to anxiety and "inappropriate feelings of happiness." Nail technicians -- 95 percent of whom are women, and 42 percent of whom are Asian -- are at greatest risk. Alarmingly, the Food and Drug Administration does not review or approve nail products, and of the more than 10,000 ingredients used in cosmetics in the United States, only 11 percent have been tested for safety.

Now the EPA has awarded two Seattle environmental groups a grant of $100,000 to help make nail salons safer. The Environmental Coalition of South Seattle and the Community Coalition for Environmental Justice plan to research greener products, help salon owners install ventilators and solvent disposal containers, and educate workers and customers on how to reduce inhalation of noxious fumes.