by Joshua Sabitina at SFExaminer.com | July 20 2010

Board of Supervisors President David Chiu on Tuesday plans to introduce Healthy Nail Salon legislation that would direct the Department of the Environment, in conjunction with the California Healthy Nail Salon Collaborative, to create a so-called “Nail Salon Recognition Program.”

The program would identify and publically acknowledge those nail salons that use nail products free of toxic chemicals like toluene, DBP and formaldehyde chemicals, also known as the “toxic trio,” according to the legislation. Toluene, for example, is a “developmental and neurological toxicant that causes headaches, dizziness, and nausea, among others.” The intent is to “encourage nail salon owners and technicians to become aware of potential hazards posed by ingredients in nail products and actively choose the least toxic nail polishes.”

Chiu considers the legislation a step toward ultimately ridding all nail polishes of toxic chemicals.

In San Francisco, there are 200 nail salon establishments with 1,800 nail technicians.

After being introduced Tuesday, the legislation would then sit for at least 30 days before being heard by a Board of Supervisors committee. It would require approval by the full board to go into effect.