CLEAN A IR SOLUT IONS

Guidance Document

A GUIDE TO MANAGING AIR QUALITY IN UK SALONS July 2015

Camfil UK – A Guide to Managing Air Quality in UK Salons – July 2015

A guide to managing air quality within UK salons

A report published by Women’s Group highlights the impact of toxic chemicals on salon workers

affecting over 245,000 in the UK.

According to a report from Women’s Voices for the Earth (WVE), Salon workers, a population dominated by women, are exposed to a myriad of chemicals everyday in their workplaces. Hair sprays, permanent waves, acrylic nail application, and numerous other salon products contain ingredients associated with asthma, dermatitis, neurological symptoms and even cancer.

According to the Hair and Beauty Industry Authority of the United Kingdom, or Habia, the hair and beauty sector in the UK boasts a workforce of over 245,000 people working across 55,000 businesses comprising of hair, beauty and nail salons, barbers, and spas.

The Problem

Salon workers absorb these chemicals through their skin and breathe them in as fumes build up in the air of the salon over the course of the workday. Research shows that salon workers are at greater risk for certain health problems compared to other occupations. The report highlights the results of decades of research on the beauty care workforce, demonstrating the disproportionate incidence of cancers, neurological diseases, immune diseases, birth defects, reproductive disorders, skin diseases, asthma, and breathing problems in this population.

Action is needed to improve conditions for salon workers and to help create and ensure healthier workplaces in the future. Recommendations for salon workers, salon owners, salon product

Camfil UK – A Guide to Managing Air Quality in UK Salons – July 2015

manufacturers, and researchers, as well as long-term policy solutions, are presented in the report as options for improving the health and safety of salon workers. Download the report Beauty and Its Beast.

According to the WVE the research findings summary, hair and nail salon workers are at greater risk of the following health issues:

Dermatitis and other skin conditions

Decreased lung function and asthma

Breast cancer, lung cancer, cancer of the larynx, bladder cancer, and multiple myeloma

Miscarriage

Having babies born with cleft palate and other birth defects

Depression

Alzheimer’s disease, presenile dementia, motor neuron disease

Lupus and primary biliary cirrhosis

Respiratory problems and breathing conditions

One of the most common kinds of health effects experienced by salon workers are breathing problems such as asthma, chronic bronchitis, reduced lung function, cough, and nasal symptoms. Salon products contain numerous chemicals that off-gas and can build up in the air of a salon. Many of these chemicals can be lung irritants and allergens. Breathing all day in workplaces with impaired air quality takes its toll on salon workers. Many salons lack adequate ventilation, which can compound the problem.

Salons can be a hazardous place to work given the multiple daily exposures to chemicals of concern. Fortunately, this situation is not inevitable. Best practices, including using less toxic products, improved ventilation, and appropriate protective equipment, can significantly decrease the chance of adverse health impacts of salon work. The salon customers are at risk too. Uncleanliness,

Camfil UK – A Guide to Managing Air Quality in UK Salons – July 2015

sloppiness, an unprofessional attitude to their care and wellbeing are the things that customers notice. These are also the things they will tell their friends and family about.

The Solution

Air cleaners can help salons to ensure compliance with the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) guidelines, and the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Work Exposure Limits (WELs). Reducing exposure to the chemicals and particles found in hair and beauty salons is not only important for legal compliance, it is also important for the health safety and wellbeing of salon employees and their clients and customers. Many salons work daily with a wide range of toxic chemicals.

Here is the HSE Advice on COSHH and beauticians – The key messages

Some ingredients in beauty and cleaning products can irritate the skin leading to dermatitis (eg solvents in nail varnish removers).

Some ingredients can cause skin allergies and asthma (eg liquids and powders in acrylic systems for artificial nails).

Dust filings from artificial nails can cause wheezing, chest tightness and asthma. Acrylic fumes can cause headaches, dizziness and nausea. Contact with blood and tissue residues from piercing or tattooing can cause infection.

There are simple things you can do to prevent ill health:

Preventing exposure to harmful substances usually means a combination of some of the following controls:

Camfil UK – A Guide to Managing Air Quality in UK Salons – July 2015

Keep the workplace well ventilated. Use good work techniques that avoid or minimise contact with harmful substances and

minimise leaks and spills. Practice good hand care – remove contamination promptly, wash hands properly, dry

thoroughly and moisturise regularly. Provide an extractor hood or down draught table for nail work. For some tasks, you may also need to provide personal protective equipment like protective

gloves, aprons and eye protection.

The Portable Solution

Poor air quality affects both the health of staff and their performance. Harmful particles in the air may cause itchy eyes, headaches and a blocked nose. The Camfil range of air cleaners (CamCleaners) purify the air and effectively combat these problems. This contributes to improved work performance, reduced absence due to illness, and air that feels easy to breathe for everyone in the salon.

CamCleaner CITY M Video

The City M air cleaners are equipped with particulate and molecular filters to deliver a healthier indoor environment by removing dust, contaminants and harmful particles in salons, offices, schools, hospitals and homes.

CamCleaner CITY M Air Cleaner Demonstration Video

Camfil UK – A Guide to Managing Air Quality in UK Salons – July 2015

Advantages of using the CITY M: Read more »

The Camfil Air Purifier CITY is quiet, efficient, stylish and environmentally conscious it is ECARF certified as Allergy Friendly. If you compare filters you will understand why CITY is the best air purifier for salons. It is also very easy to use. Just “plug and play”. Within a few hours, it reduces one million hazardous particles per cubic meter. CITY is simply the best investment you can make for healthier staff and safer customers. The Camfil series of patented Air Cleaners and Air Purifiers have the most effective HEPA filter. They act as a complement to an existing ventilation system and are compact and mobile so they can be moved around the room. Tests have shown the CamCleaner removes 92% of harmful air particles in offices and they remove nasty smells too.

http://www.womensvoices.org/issues/reports/beauty-and-its-beast/

Email anne.dempsey@camfil.com today to find out more.

www.camfil.co.uk