Where the cost of beauty is pain
Like other Vietnamese children in California, I spent summers at my grandma’s nail salon, where the smell of chemicals permeated the air. She always told me to play by the fan, the only ventilation. I recall her and other employees complaining about itchy eyes, wheezing and headaches. These complaints were the center of conversation at family gatherings, where those who also worked in salons chimed in about their own health problems. It was obvious to them that their workplace caused these issues, yet nothing seemed to be done about it.
In 2016, California passed AB2125 to create the Healthy Nail Salon Recognition Program, and this month, the required set of guidelines was published. This is the first step in addressing the occupational health issues of 129,000 employees statewide, most of whom are Asian immigrant women. Asian Health Services, a community clinic in Oakland, pushed for the right to work in a safe place for this marginalized population. However, workers like my grandma remain unprotected from the chemicals in personal care products that they work with every day.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, there are at least 20 potentially hazardous chemicals in products used in nail salons such as nail polishes, solvents and glues. The most worrisome of the chemicals are formaldehyde and toluene, which have been found to cause cancer and fetal defects during pregnancy.
Workers have also shown an increase in diagnoses of respiratory diseases and skin disorders, as well as headaches and eye irritations.
The government, however, has done little to ensure the safety of these workers.
About 80 percent of salon workers immigrated to the United States from Vietnam, and many of them lack a formal education and Englishspeaking skills. Data show that the Vietnamese population has a higher-than-average poverty
rate for Asian Americans, further lowering their political power to change these detrimental conditions. These characteristics allow them to be exploited in the workplace because no one else is fighting for their rights or even noticing their struggles.
These Vietnamese women’s livelihoods depend on the success of the nail salon business. They cannot afford the financial risk to make positive changes for their health. Workers cannot leave their jobs because their skills are specific to the industry. They are limited in job options because they do not speak English. Thus, it is the government’s responsibility to protect their rights and ensure their welfare.
California’s government is not doing enough to create safe working spaces for the Vietnamese community. Only 121 out of 8,000 salons in California have joined this program to follow the guidelines for a healthier workplace. Awareness is not enough.
Creating safer workplaces takes time and, more importantly, money.
The use of less-toxic products costs at least 30 percent more, and that doesn’t include costs to add better ventilation or protective gear. If salons were to adopt safety guidelines, then the price of services would go up to account for extra expenses, leading to lost business.
The Healthy Nail Salon Recognition Program is a small step in recognizing the health injustices in the marginalized Vietnamese communities in California, but there is much more to be done.