The more than 375,000 nail technicians working in salons across the United States face possible health hazards every day. The hazards include exposure to chemicals from glues, polishes, removers, and other salon products; muscle strains from awkward positions or repetitive motions; and risk of infection from contact with client skin, nails, or blood. This webpage gives important information about these hazards and the steps that nail salon workers and employers can take to prevent injuries and illnesses. Information on nail salon hazards and preventing illness and injury is also available for workers in OSHA's publication "Stay Healthy and Safe While Giving Manicures and Pedicures: A Guide for Nail Salon Workers" [2 MB PDF*, 20 pages]. This publication is also available in Spanish [2 MB PDF*, 13 pages] and Vietnamese [638 KB PDF*, 22 pages] and Korean [3 MB PDF*, 24 pages]. Chemicals Used in Nail Salons: Nail polishes, glues, and other products used in nail salons may contain the following chemicals, among others: (a) Toluene; (b) Formaldehyde; (c) Dibutyl Phthalate; (d) Methacrylate compounds. Without taking the correct safety precautions each day, these chemicals can cause breathing problems; red, irritated eyes; dry, cracked skin; and other health problems. To learn more, click here. Muscle Strains from Awkward Body Positions and Repetitive Work: Working in certain positions or repeating the same motion puts stress on a worker's body and can cause aches and pains. These hazards are often called "ergonomic" hazards. Aches and pains can be caused by bending over a work table for a long period of time; resting hands, wrists, forearms and/or elbows against hard surfaces or sharp edges of work tables; and using repetitive movements like filing and buffing nails. To learn -click here. Preventing Disease: Nail salon workers can be exposed to biological hazards if they come into contact with infected skin, nails, or blood from a co-worker or client. Diseases that can result from exposure to infected blood include hepatitis and AIDS. Nail salon workers can also get fungal infections, such as athlete's foot, from clients. To learn more, click here. See more from topic source: https://www.osha.gov/html/a-z-index.html.