Carcinogens in Nail Polish
by Doug Schoon
Carcinogens in Nail Polish
ASK DOUG
Hi Doug, I keep hearing that the chemicals in polish, gel and acrylic nail products are carcinogenic. Is this true? I’m afraid of getting cancer? ~Chris
ANSWER
Do the words acetaldehyde and formaldehyde frighten you?
Most people would say yes, especially since California requires a warning that nail polish contains formaldehyde and could cause cancer. They don’t have a clue that “formaldehyde resin” is not formaldehyde.
Tosylamide/Formaldehyde Resin is a polymer formed from the reaction of toluene sulfonamide and formaldehyde. Tosylamide/Formaldehyde Resin is used in nail enamel products. It is a soft resin material which, when combined with nitrocellulose, forms a tough, shiny film on nails. [Source: Cosmeticsinfo.org]
Are You Eating Your Fruits and Veggies?
Acetaldehyde and formaldehyde are “naturally occurring carcinogens” found in most fruits and many vegetables. They exist even in “organically grown and certified” foods.
Organically grown foods contain naturally occurring carcinogens. In fact, they contain many different natural carcinogens.
For instance, many foods, including mushrooms and apples contain significant amounts of naturally occurring formaldehyde.
Acetaldehyde occurs naturally in coffee, bread, and ripe fruit, and is produced by plants.
USDA organic pineapples and tomatoes contain naturally derived 1,4-dioxane. Don’t worry, these carcinogens exist in small quantities that are considered to be safe by scientific experts, so they are NOT expected to be harmful.
I hope we can all agree, mushrooms and pineapples don’t cause cancer, even though they contain known carcinogens.
Did you know that water is a chemical also? Dihydrogen Monoxide—H2O—two hydrogen and one oxygen. There are several activist groups that profess that dihydrogen monoxide should be banned because it “causes cancer” or could kill you!
Ana and I wrote an article explaining chemicals in more detail.
Cancer? Really?
Just because a substance is a “known carcinogen” or “linked to cancer”, does NOT mean it will cause cancer.
Fear-based activist groups (such as the EWG) don’t want you to know about this, so you’ll never hear it from them.
They deceive people by telling them there is “no safe level for carcinogens.” That is a load of baloney!
A substance only becomes carcinogenic when safe concentrations are exceeded, and usually for prolonged periods.
These substances are NOT “automatically” cancer causing and therefore dangerous, as these deceivers pretend.
Activist groups demonize these substances and warn people that they must avoid them completely and at all cost. That’s just their game of fear. Unfortunately, they’ve been very successful at fooling the general public into believing this myth.
You Make It Too!
All people, even babies, breathe out tiny amounts of the formaldehyde. That’s because our body makes and uses formaldehyde to build proteins and other beneficial substances we need to function and live.
Formaldehyde isn’t automatically capable of causing cancer. It only becomes a risk in concentrations many thousands of times higher than what would ever be found in nail polish or preservatives—two cosmetic sources that are often cited by these fear-mongers.
In Conclusion
Why do fear-based activists intentionally deceive people in this way?
They know that by frightening people it’s easier to get money/donations. It’s what floats their boat, so to speak.
Doug Schoon Author: Nail Structure & Product Chemistry
That’s why I recommend that you never give any fear-based activist groups any money, for any reason.
After they pay themselves, they’ll use the rest to create even more deceptions and unwarranted fear.
Why? That’s their business model … and it’s why they can’t be trusted to provide the facts.
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