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Nail salon workers in New York City face greater health risks on the job than previously understood, according to a new study published in the journal Risk Analysis. Researchers found that chemical concentrations spiked repeatedly throughout the workday, revealing short-term exposure peaks that traditional full-shift averages may overlook. These peaks could have important implications for worker health.

Researchers tracked air quality minute by minute for a week in five New York City nail salons and found that levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) varied widely. The study, led by A. Michael Ierardi, Ph.D., CIH, at the City University of New York Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy (CUNY SPH), combined continuous photoionization detector monitoring with chemical-specific sampling using thermal desorption tubes.

The VOC mixtures were largely composed of fast-evaporating solvents commonly used in nail products, with other potentially more hazardous compounds, like methacrylates and benzene, detected less frequently and at lower concentrations.

However, although benzene levels were low, modeled lifetime cancer risks exceeded the EPA's 1‑in‑1‑million benchmark in several salons under certain exposure scenarios. Noncancer hazard estimates were generally below the benchmark, with upper-bound estimates exceeding it in the salon with the highest measured VOC concentrations.

Occupational exposure limits are generally set to protect healthy, nonpregnant adult men during a standard eight-hour work shift. Researchers say these limits may fall short for more vulnerable groups, including women of reproductive age who make up much of the nail salon workforce.

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