Beauty Salon Industry Warned of Toxic Dangers

One event, the SalonSpa Sustainability Summit, is designed to help salon owners and professionals maximize their positive impact on the environment and on their businesses.

America's Beauty Show launched the concept of salon sustainability in 2008 and is expanding on it this year. Cosmetologists Chicago, the organization that presents the show, said in a statement that sustainability is "more than going 'green.' It's a business, personal and community commitment to a way of life."

Salon sustainability is founded on three principles, the cosmetologists' organization says:

• People: Social progress to support and protect ourselves and our communities
• Planet: Active and involved concern for the environment
• Profit: Continued economic development to sustain our businesses

"Products used in the great majority of nationwide salons contain a wide range of toxic ingredients, including carcinogens, hormonal ingredients, and allergens," said Dr. Epstein, adding, "Exposure to them poses hidden dangers to clients, and much more so their stylists."

Often dispensed from bulk containers without labeled ingredients into poorly ventilated salons, Dr. Epstein says volatile ingredients and fine particles contaminate the indoor air. Particles from aerosol hair sprays can penetrate deeply into the lungs of clients and especially stylists, who are exposed to the chemicals daily.

A stylist attends to her client in a New York City beauty salon. (Photo by Eridesign)

Stylists and nail technicians, particularly those who work in small hair and beauty salons, tend to drift in and out of their jobs, so formal long-term studies to investigate dangers to their health are not feasible, but Dr. Epstein says there is a great deal of scientific evidence documenting the health effects of chemicals used in the salon industry.

Chairman of the Cancer Prevention Coalition, Dr. Epstein has just published a new book called "Toxic Beauty: How Cosmetics and Personal Care Products Endanger Your Health ... and What You Can Do About It."

In the book and in today's statement, Dr. Epstein warns that hair dyes are of particular concern.

"About 35 percent of women and 10 percent of men are regularly exposed to these dyes in salons or by personal use," he said today. "Black and dark brown permanent and semi-permanent dyes contain carcinogens, particularly those known as phenylenediamines. These have been shown to cause cancers, particularly non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease, and multiple myeloma, besides breast and bladder cancers."

"However, in spite of this long standing evidence, stylists, let alone their clients, remain unaware of these avoidable risks of sometimes lethal cancers," he said. "In sharp contrast to the U.S., these dyes have been banned in Europe."

Calling continued use of these hair dyes "reckless," Dr. Epstein points to safe certified organic dyes, particularly those marketed by Logona, a German company, now available in the United States, that achieve stable and long-lasting dark colors.

A recently recognized concern relates to the potent carcinogen vinyl chloride, a propellant in some pressure sprays, which has been found to cause fatal liver cancer, said Dr. Epstein.

"Another recent concern relates to hormonal phthalates in sprays to which pregnant women may be exposed, and have been incriminated as a cause of congenital abnormalities in their male infants," he said.

Dr. Epstein is calling for a ban on pressure sprays and for efficiently ventilated salons that conform to certified national standards.

In addition, he is calling for Material Safety Data Sheets containing information on all ingredients in all products used in salons, including their risks and recommended safety precautions, that would be readily available to stylists and clients.

"This information is legally required by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration for all workplaces with 10 or more employees," says Dr. Epstein. "However, this requirement is observed more in the breach than the performance."

Finally, he has found that mercury is used as a preservative in eyeliners, skin lightening creams, and some brands of mascara used in salons and for sale in beauty supply stores. He warns, "Even small doses of mercury accumulate and can cause neurological damage following long term exposure."

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