SF Nail Salons Recognized For Switching To Non-Toxic Products
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) - A campaign to discourage San Francisco nail salons from exposing customers and employees to the toxic chemicals common in many nail polishes and nail polish removers has started to yield some success, city officials said Wednesday.
So far, eight San Francisco nail salons have earned a Healthy Nail Salon designation from the city for switching to non-toxic products, improving ventilation and requiring employees to wear gloves.
KCBS' Barbara Taylor Reports:
"San Francisco's program is really helping us to move forward on a vision where workers don't have to worry about choosing their livelihood over their health," said Julia Liou of the Healthy Nail Salon Collaborative.
The organization has worked with the San Francisco Department of the Environment to produce materials in Vietnamese to educate immigrant workers with limited English about the toxins links to birth defects, miscarriages and cancer.
City officials hope consumer pressure will encourage more of the 250 nail salons that operate in San Francisco to make the switch.
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