|
May 10, 2004. 07:03 AM RACHEL ROSS - TORONTO STAR Read any good nail polish lately? The average bottle is a real tongue twister, covered with a list of the cryptic ingredients that make up the chemical soup. Tocopherylacetate. Toluene. Methoxyisopropanol. Stearalkonium hectorite. Dibutyl phthalate. It's like a foreign language that can only be deciphered by a precious few. As a chemist, Yingchun Liu speaks the language. So when her 7-year-old daughter said she wanted to wear nail polish, Liu was concerned. Liu knew what was in the stuff and she wasn't sure she wanted it on her daughter's fingers. Some of those chemicals are known toxins, after all. Thus began Liu's quest to develop a nail polish that she and her daughter could live with, that would replace all the chemical solvents with a surprisingly simple ingredient: water. Much like house paint, nail polish contains dissolved pigments and resins. Solvents such as acetone, formaldehyde, toluene and ethyl acetate are added to the formulation so that it will flow easily from the bottle, to the brush, to the nail. Once you've applied a coat of polish that flow-ability is no longer helpful, however. You want the nail polish to stay on your nails — not your clothes or hair. The solvents evaporate leaving behind a solid layer of colour. What makes the stuff so tough — once it's dry — is the resin. Chains of molecules in resins such as nitrocellulose bind everything together. Plasticizers such as dibutyl phthalate are added to make the resin pliable and even stronger, so the polish doesn't chip. That characteristic nail polish smell is evaporating solvent wafting through the air. Some solvents and plasticizers are known toxins, linked to birth defects or spontaneous abortion. Cosmetics companies use them in regulated quantities because they need a solvent that will properly dissolve the pigments and binders. Cosmetic chemists also note that those ill effects are only associated with exposure to very large quantities — far more than you'd find in a bottle of nail polish. Health Canada regulates the use of potentially toxic chemicals such as phthalates and toluene to ensure that we're not exposed to toxic levels during a beauty ritual. Up to 50 per cent of nail polish can be made of toluene, according to Health Canada, and the polish is still safe to use on nails. That kind of regulation would be great, if applying nail polish was the only time people were exposed to such chemicals. Unfortunately, the average person is exposed to a litany of products that contain such chemicals every day. Different kinds of phthalates, for example, are found in a variety of flexible plastics. When you pick up your toothbrush, sit down in the vinyl back seat of a cab, put on perfume or get fluids intravenously, you are exposed to phthalates. Health Canada even recommends parents avoid vinyl children's toys that contain a certain kind of phthalate, diisononyl phthalate, because they can pose a health risk if sucked on or chewed by a baby. Living, it seems, can be bad for your health. Activists, scientists and industry advocates are still debating whether we should throw out our nail polish. Each side has its own studies to point to. Those opposed to phthalates often cite a particularly dramatic study on rodents, where exposure to high levels of phthalates was shown to cause significant reproductive problems. The cosmetics and plastics industry, however, likes to point out that similar studies on non-human primates showed they were much less susceptible to the stuff. One thing is clear: more research would be helpful so that consumers would have definite answers about the effects of such chemicals given minimal exposure over a long period of time. In the interim, I believe the safe bet is to avoid unnecessary exposure to toxins such as dibutyl phthalate whenever possible. And we do have a choice when it comes to nail polish. After a year of research and development, Liu developed a water-based nail polish for her daughter. So instead of inhaling toluene as it evaporates off her nails, she inhales water. Developing such a formula was no easy task, Liu said. A wealth of patents show that the big cosmetic companies have made several attempts to do the same. "Water based nail polishes typically dry very slowly and tend to peel off. They don't last," she said. A spokesperson for L'Oreal said the company briefly sold a water-based nail polish about five years ago. The polish, however, only lasted one day before it would peel off your nails. My own, hands-on test found that Liu's polish had no such issue. It goes on nice and smooth, dries quickly and doesn't peel off easily. Apply several thin coats and you'll find it stands up just as well as regular nail polish. Liu's formaldehyde-free, toluene-free, phthalate-free, alcohol-free, acetone-free and acetate-free product now goes by the name Suncoat (http://www.suncoatproducts.com) and comes in 32 shades. You can find Suncoat products at many organic food stores, including Noah's Natural Foods, The Big Carrot, and Whole Foods. Some of the major labels are making changes too, by eliminating phthalates from their polishes. Starting in July, Procter & Gamble Co. will replace Nail Slicks polish with a phthalate-free formulation called Cover Girl Continuous Colour. A spokesperson for the company claimed the change had nothing to do with health reasons, however, saying the new formula just works better. The controversy over ingredients such as phthalates and toluene will likely continue for some time without a clear resolution. The reality is, toxins are everywhere. They are often inescapable. Is there a need to apply them directly to our fingernails? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
