Working Conditions and Health in Hairdressing Salons

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to assess the working conditions in hairdressing salons and the influence of work factors on the workers' health. Twenty randomly sampled hairdressing salons in the Helsinki, Finland, metropolitan area were selected for the study. The study was performed during winter 1994-1995; it included a survey of the hairdressing chemicals in use, the measurement of physical and chemical working conditions, and a self-administered questionnaire of the work environment and health of the workers. The air temperature varied between 16-25 degrees C, air velocity 0.02-0.3 m/s, and relative humidity, 18-42 percent. The total dust concentration varied between 66-133 micrograms/m3. The concentration of volatile organic compounds was 84-465 micrograms/m3 and the peaks rose to 25-45 mg/m3. The highest concentration of ammonia detected was 3.5 mg/m3. The long-term concentrations of thioglycolates and persulfates were at their lowest below the detection limit, and at their highest 1.8 micrograms/m3 for thioglycolates and 4.7 micrograms/m3 for persulfates, respectively, and the peaks of persulfates, 30 micrograms/m3. Hairdressing chemicals, awkward work postures, and repetitive movements were the most frequent causes of discomfort and for some had caused a work-related disease. Good general ventilation decreased the health complaints caused by hairdressing chemicals, but caused discomfort as a result of drafts. On average, the physical and chemical working conditions in the hairdressing salons were satisfactory compared with the Finnish criterion for indoor climate. However, the frequent high peak concentrations of chemicals during dyeing, bleaching, permanenting, and aerosol spraying still pose a significant health problem. Although effective general ventilation alleviated the effects of the air pollutants, it could not completely solve the problem. Therefore, local exhaust ventilation is recommended at the mixing places for hairdressing chemicals and wherever they are applied to the hair. According to our results, already increasing the air exchange rate up to 5 to 7 times per hour during the high exposure jobs would improve the situation.

Airborne exposure to chemical substances in hairdresser salons

“…Similar findings have been demonstrated in a Finnish study (Leino et al 1999). Limit values for carbon dioxide are much higher than the registered values in the salons, (5.000 ppm, OSHA) indicating that these levels present no health hazard (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Air and Radiation 1989).…”

“…Although several investigations describe health problems among hairdressers that might be related to their occupation, and possibly to chemical exposures ( Van der Wal et al 1997;Leino et al 1998;Gago-Dominguez et al 2001;Hollund et al 2001;Kersemaekers et al 1997;Albin et al 2002) very few studies are published showing chemical exposure levels in hairdressing salons (Muiswinkel et al 1997;Hollund and Moen 1998;Leino et al 1999;Labreche et al 2003;Mounier-Geyssant et al 2006). They focus on the determination of certain chemicals, finding different exposure profiles and point out the importance of the local exhaust ventilation.…”

Occupational exposure to hairdressing chemicals and immunoglobulin E synthesis

“…However, the age trend was not statistically significant. Several studies (8,14,(25)(26)(27)(28) have found declining IgE levels with increasing age. We have previously shown (3) that hairdressers older than 40 years of age report a significantly higher prevalence of airway symptoms, and this trend can have parallel explanations to the IgE change related to age.…”

“…Today, the exposure to some of the most hazardous chemicals has been substantially reduced and new products that are less irritative and dusty have been introduced. Hairdressers are exposed to many different chemicals, but at low levels when compared with the Norwegian threshold limit values (6,28). The exposure time is usually short, only a few minutes for each customer.…”

Risk of cryptorchidism and hypospadias among boys of maternal hairdressers – a Danish population-based cohort study

“…Presumably the levels of exposure to chemical agents, for instance with endocrine-disrupting properties, in hairdressing salons are of insufficient magnitude to interfere adversely with the development of the male reproductive tract. The exposure level has plausibly been reduced within the last decades due to a ban of some hazardous chemicals and increased attention to working conditions (eg, in relation to ventilation) (2,34). It might thus be expected that children of hairdressers born in the 1980s or 1990s had a higher exposure and thus possibly a higher relative risk than children born in the 2000s.…”