Cheryl A. Major is a volunteer contributor to WestfordCAT News. To subscribe to our free, online newsletter, click here.
Do you use nail polish?
If you do, you may be subjecting yourself to a hormone disruptor known as TPHP.
This is not good ladies! Out of more than 3,000 nail products listed in The Environmental Working Groups’ Skin Deep database, at least half test positive for TPHP! While some companies like butter London have indicated they have stopped using it in production, their nail polish still on the shelves contains it! Some nail polishes tested were shown to contain TPHP although it was not listed as an ingredient!
Even my go-to polish by BWC (Beauty Without Cruelty) has tested positive for it!
So what exactly is TPHP and what does a hormone disruptor do? TPHP is Triphenyl phosphate; it is a suspected endocrine-disrupting chemical and is very often used in the making of plastics and in foam furniture as a fire retardant. Labeling it a hormone disruptor means it interferes with normal hormone function.
In one test, when the urine of 26 women was tested before and after they had painted their nails, the tests showed sharp increases in TPHP beginning just a few hours after they had painted their nails.
TPHP became the go-to ingredient to increase the flexibility of nail polish after scientific studies showed that the previously used DBP (dibutyl phthalate) was most likely an endocrine disruptor and was toxic to our reproductive systems.
The body metabolizes TPHP into DPHP, and tests for DPHP in the urine samples of pregnant women and in breast milk showed an alarming presence of DPHP in both.
So many women have their nails done on a regular basis. It’s an inexpensive, easy way to pamper yourself, and that’s a great thing! If you’re a frequent user of nail polish though, exposure to TPHP may be a long term hazard for you. My advice is to do your homework and find a safe nail polish in a color or two you love. Then take them with you to your manicurist to make sure your pampering yourself in a truly healthy way.
Here’s a link to the Environmental Working Group (EWG) Skin Deep database so you can check out the beauty products you are currently using to see if you’re exposing yourself to toxic ingredients and what your alternative go-to products could be.
http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/site/about.php
Sometimes buffing your nails to a natural glossy shine is easier, cheaper and healthier.
Cheryl A Major lives in Westford and is a Certified Nutrition and Wellness Consultant. Her TV show Thin Strong Healthy airs on WestfordCat and is an offshoot of her blog http://ThinStrongHealthy.com  Cheryl offers ongoing information and personal health coaching to help you feel better and be healthier. Follow Cheryl on Twitter @CherylAMajor. She is also a full time residential Realtor with Coldwell Banker with more than 25 years experience.
Questions? Email Cheryl at cheryl@thinstronghealthy.com and be sure to put Health Question in the subject line. Your question and its answer will be included in a future article.
