Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #114231

Susan Duty, MSN, ScD, Department of Nursing, Simmons College, 300 The Fenway, Science Building room 314, Boston, MA 02115, 617-521-2096, susan.duty@simmons.edu, Russ B. Hauser, MD, ScD, Occupational Health Program, Harvard School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, and Antonia Calafat, PhD, National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4770 Buford Hwy North East, Atlanta, GA 30341.

Background: Dibutyl phthalate (DBP) is used to reduce brittleness and cracking in nailpolish. DBP is a reproductive toxicant in rodents, and in humans it has been associated with allergic reactions as well as reproductive and respiratory impairments. To determine if manicurists are occupationally exposed to DBP, a pilot study is underway. Methods: Between January 2004 and October 2004, 19 female and 2 male manicurists were recruited. Five manicurists worked in shops with local exhaust ventilation while the others did not. Urine samples were collected before and after work on the same day. Phthalate monoester concentrations were measured by automated solid phase extraction coupled with isotope-dilution-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Results: Monobutyl phthalate (MBP) was detected in all manicurists. Median MBP levels among the women and men were more than 2 ½ and 5 times higher, respectively, than general population levels. MBP levels increased 6.9 ng/mL across the work shift. MBP levels rose 12.9 ng/mL across the work shift in shops without local exhaust ventilation, compared to a decrease of 0.74 ng/mL in shops with local exhaust ventilation. None of the above findings reached statistical significance. Conclusion: This pilot study quantified occupational exposure of manicurists to DBP. Although the sample size is small, observed suggestive associations indicate manicurists are being exposed to DBP during work and that local exhaust ventilation can mitigate that exposure. These analyses will need to be repeated once recruitment is completed to confirm the robustness of the findings.

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