EcoWaste Slams Continued Sale of Artificial Nail Sets with Toxic Glue

(PNA) — A toxics watchdog group advised consumers to refrain from buying artificial nail sets with matching glue that contains hazardous substances such as chloroform and dibutyl phthalate (DBP).

“DBP and chloroform are among the over 1,350 substances that ‘must not form part of the composition of cosmetic products’ as per Annex II, Part I of the ASEAN Cosmetics Directive. Girls and women who are fond of art nails should be wary of potential health hazards due to exposure to these chemicals in some glue products,” said Thony Dizon, coordinator of the EcoWaste Coalition’s Project Protect.

Dizon urged consumers to exercise precaution after his group procured nine brands of artificial nail sets in Divisoria, Manila that come with a little tube of glue containing DBP as indicated on the label.

These brands include Art Nails, Design Nail, Fashion Nail, Hong Lin Fringed Iris Art Nail, Keke Designer Nails Set, Meijiaer, Miss Seven Nail Art Set, New Air Art Nail and Yu Yao Nail Art Beads Set, which the group bought last Monday for PHP3 to PHP80 per set at cosmetics shops in 168, 999 and Lucky Chinatown shopping malls.

The above products lacked complete labeling information and the required product notification from the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA).

“Almost six months after the government warned against artificial nail sets with DBP-containing adhesive glue, we still find them in the market as if they are legal to sell,” lamented Dizon.

Last February 2015, the FDA warned against allergic effects from DBP that “can cause the immune system to respond to chemical exposures with immunological reactions that are harmful, varying from hives to life threatening responses such as anaphylactic shock, where low blood pressure and breathing difficulties can result in death.”

The EcoWaste Coalition also warned against a type of nail glue that was recently banned in Denmark for containing excessive amount of chloroform, which can cause skin irritation and damage a person’s health if ingested orinhaled.

The Danish health authorities further warned that “exposure to chloroform fumes can cause damage to internal organs, mainly the liver and kidneys, as well as risk of cancer.”

During its recent market monitoring in Divisoria, the group managed to buy a nail glue for PHP8 per bottle that bears a close resemblance to the one that was ordered withdrawn from the market by the Danish government.

To avoid potential exposure to chloroform and DBP in nail glues, the EcoWaste Coalition urged consumers to patronize nail products with proper FDA Certificate of Product Notification and marketed by FDA-licensed manufacturer, importer or distributor. (PNA) JBP/PR/EBP