Sovereign Magazine
Well Aligned: What does your nail polish say about your health?
Sustainable Wellness Series
By Sandra Deira | Column brought to you by We Are Health Tribe B.V, find out more at www.wearehealthtribe.com
Joie de vivre, guilty pleasure and the weather
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very week I look at the weather forecast for the coming 7 days. Will I get to enjoy the sun, wear sandals and a ravishingly blue colour nail polish? Or will it be a shiny nude because it will be raining cats and dogs, my toes will be stuffed away and I will not get to wear one of my favourite bright colour dresses? Sometimes I wonder how did women chose their favourite colour nail polish half a century ago? Going to the cinema in those days was a real treat. Women around the world were inspired by famous Hollywood actresses to paint their nails bright red. Sophia Loren, Brigitte Bardot and Marilyn Monroe come to mind. Did Marilyn imagine that her beautiful red nails will become a world class inspiration for women? What else didn’t she know about nail polish?
Would she ever guess that nail polish presents a considerable health risk? California’s Department of Toxic Substances Control has proposed listing nail products containing toluene to be under it’s Safer Consumer Products programme. The chemical toluene, a toxin that may cause birth defects and developmental problems in children of pregnant women who have had extended exposure. They also looked for dibutyl phthalate (DBP), which has been linked to birth defects in studies involving lab animals, and formaldehyde, a carcinogen. Then there is Triphenyl phosphate, or TPHP, a suspected endocrine-disrupting chemical, which is commonly used to make plastics and as a fire retardant in foam furniture. And if you wear nail polish, it could be in your body too. Researchers at Duke University tested the urine of 26 women who had recently painted their nails and found evidence of TPHP in every participant. Evidence of the chemical in the women’s urine increased sharply after they applied the nail polish.
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