Salon Study

Hairdressers are four times more likely to suffer from asthma and seven times more likely to experience skin disorders compared with the average working population. Hairdressers are potentially exposed to potent asthmagens and dermal sensitizers that are frequently found in the products used they use. There is a lack of quantitative information about their exposures to these toxic chemicals and this data gap is a barrier to understanding the association between hairdressers’ exposures to these chemicals and asthma and dermatitis.

Exposures to agents associated with asthma and dermatitis must be characterized by identifying the products used for specific tasks, product use frequency, and amount, and by quantifying the magnitude and variability of exposure to each chemical and chemical mixture.

ESSI's Impact:

Basic characterizations of one hair and one nail salon were conducted to facilitate the exposure assessment and risk of salon workers’ exposures to a selection of chemicals found in professional formulations of hair care products.

Student Involvement:

Three of our students from the MS-IH program gained practical and experimental experience through their involvement with this project.