Editor—We report our concern about the respiratory hazards of "nail sculpture." sculpture."
From October 2001 to August 2002 we identified in the Yorkshire and north Lincolnshire area three cases of respiratory ill health (work related wheezing, tight chest) related to nail sculpture, a work activity which we think is growing in popularity; it entails using resins to improve the cosmetic appearance of fingernails.
Acrylic resins were the predominant (though not exclusive) resin type used. Although all three women had received training, none had been warned of the potential for adverse respiratory effects. Two of the three abandoned the work with improvement of symptoms; the other was able to continue after changing to another resin.
The respiratory hazards of using acrylic resins and applying artificial nails are well documented.1,2 Nail dust has also been associated with respiratory problems.3 We hope that this letter will alert family doctors, respiratory physicians, and others to this occupational hazard. Advice on applying artifical nails, from which useful comparison with nail sculpture can be drawn, is obtainable on the US government website http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/hc28.html