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As you apply that final brush stroke of polish and pause to admire your manicuring skills, have you ever thought to wonder what is in that polish that you just used to coat your nails?

Many people don't realize that the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) doesn't require premarket approval on cosmetics. In fact, cosmetic manufacturers are not required to register their cosmetic establishments, file data on ingredients, or even to report cosmetic-related injuries to the FDA. That's one reason that the campaign to get manufacturers to remove toxic chemicals from nail polish has been chiefly a media and consumer-driven one.

Until recently, nearly all nail polish brands contained some chemicals that have been proven to be toxic to humans. The most dangerous are the following:

FORMALDEHYDE
Formalde hyde is used for embalming because of its ability to fix human tissue and its effectiveness as a disinfectant. Exposure to formaldehyde has been linked to several short term health problems such as irritation of the eyes and mucous membranes as well as asthma attacks. Formaldehyde has been classified as a probable carcinogen by the US Environmental Protection Agency. In 2004, the International Agency for Research on Cancer declared formaldehyde to be a known human carcinogen.

TOLUENE
Toluene is used as a solvent and can be found in such products as paint thinners. It is also the final "T" in TNT (trinitrotoluene). This chemical is a neurotoxin. Short term effects of exposure include minor fatigue, nausea, weakness, and confusion. Long term exposure can cause serious nervous disorders, speech impairments, hearing and vision impairments, problems with memory, coordination difficulties and damage to internal organs such as the liver and the kidneys.

DIBUTYL PHTHALATE (DBP)
This plasticizer has been shown to be an endocrine system disruptor. It is suspected to cause genital abnormalities in newborn boys and accelerate puberty in girls. DBP is listed as a possible teratogen, meaning it can cause birth defects.

Most high-profile cosmetics companies have already stopped using some or all of these chemicals in their nail polishes but since all products are not created equal, bargain brands may still contain one or more of these proven toxins.

I checked my bottle of nail polish made by a well-known cosmetics firm. I was comforted to find that it did not contain any formaldehyde, toluene or dibutyl phthalate. However, I did find among its ingredients several chemicals known to be injurious to human health. For instance it contains a coloring that is carcinogenic, camphor (a neurotoxin), and aluminum powder which is known to have toxic effects on some organ systems.

If you want to know what is in your nail polish, or any other cosmetic preparation you use, there's a wonderful resource called Skin Deep, a project from the researchers at the non-profit Environmental Working Group. They have over 25,000 products in their database and it's free to use. Know what you put on your body. Cosmetic safety is truly beautiful.

Skin Deep - http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.c om/splash.php?URI=%2Findex.php

Learn more about this author, A. Jacobina Poulsen.
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