Methyl methacrylate floats through thousands of nail salons, dental offices, and factories. It shapes dentures, glues airplane parts, and polishes up the world’s brightest acrylic nails. Many folks—myself included—have walked into a manicurist’s shop and caught a whiff of something sharp in the air, maybe not realizing how everyday chemicals find their way into us.
According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), methyl methacrylate irritates eyes, nose, and throat. It can settle into lungs, cause headaches, and trigger asthma. The latest research rattled a few cages: evidence now suggests this chemical could be carcinogenic in humans. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) updated its take after animal studies showed tumors developed when animals breathed high doses over time.
For folks who spend their workweek around the substance—techs buffing nails, dental workers shaping veneers, factory staff pouring resins—the real concern isn’t a nail appointment or quick brush with glue. Chronic, high-exposure matters. Even short stints can cause skin rashes or breathing trouble, but the cancer concern sits squarely on the shoulders of repeat, long-term exposure.
Many people—often women and immigrants—staff nail salons and other small businesses. These jobs rarely offer generous benefits or strong labor protections. When I started working nights in my early twenties, I barely paid attention to the polish smell. Now I realize the thick plastic taste after a long shift hinted at something the lungs don’t forget.
It’s not just about one chemical. It’s about the way hazardous substances travel through low-wage sectors and pile risk on folks who can’t afford to speak up or walk away. Wage earners can’t always pick safer jobs, and salon owners may view ventilation investments as a luxury they just can’t swing.
Good news: Methyl methacrylate isn’t essential in many beauty and medical products. In 1974, the FDA banned its use in nail products sold directly to consumers, but loopholes stay wide. Some state and city governments have set up rules requiring better ventilation and clear labeling—or at least “right to know” postings about chemical risk.
Shifts in law and workplace practice grow from pressure. OSHA could update standards, boost inspections, or mandate modern ventilation for business licenses. Manufacturers know substitutes exist. California passed specific rules about airborne chemicals in salons, and workers there now see less symptom flare-up. These fixes come about because workers, advocates, and healthcare professionals push hard.
Nobody signs up for cancer with their first job. Some industries still ask new employees to trade health for a paycheck—often quietly, and too often out of sight. After my time around industrial glues, I think about what I’d tell my younger self: speak up, ask about ventilation, support coworkers who raise concerns, and learn the name of every chemical you smell.
We can ask questions in salons and shops, back business owners who invest in safety over short-term savings, and push legislators to close loopholes, not pockets. Most of us end up breathing what the least-protected folks can’t avoid. There’s more at stake than just the shimmer of new nails or a durable crown.
