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What are the worst jobs in America? Things are especially tough for service workers in three low-wage U.S. industries: laundry services, supermarkets and nail salons. Industry representatives argue that conditions in these jobs are no worse than those in other competitive service sectors. But these are trades that often go unnoticed. Unlike many manufacturing jobs, these positions aren't vulnerable to outsourcing, but they?re losing protection as domestic unions lose sway. "There's no reason these jobs have to be unsafe or very low-wage jobs," says Fox. "These could be good jobs. And these are all jobs...
...NAIL SALON WORKERS...
Manicurists and pedicurists in the U.S. number 155,000, and the industry has tripled over the last two decades. Forty-two percent of nail technicians are Asian immigrant women, according to industry estimates, and many have little recourse when exposed to dangerous health conditions. Cosmetics ingredients don't fall under the jurisdiction of either the EPA or the Food and Drug Administration, and many such products sold in the U.S. today contain known toxins. Formaldehyde and toluene, both identified by the EPA as carcinogens, are part of the mix in many common cosmetics, as are phthalates, chemicals that have been...
According to a 2006 report by the National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum, 89% of the 10,000 chemicals used in nail-care products have not been safety tested by an independent agency. Since 2001, the Environmental Working Group, a public health watchdog, has been studying many of those same ingredients, with disturbing results. The group has noted that one common brand of nail glue contains ingredients linked to cancer and reproductive defects, a significant finding given that more than half of Asian immigrant women working in nail salons are of child-bearing age. Hannah Lee, executive editor...
...California, which is home to 21% of all nail technicians nationwide, passed a Safe Cosmetics Bill, requiring cosmetics manufacturers to disclose dangerous ingredients to the State Department of Health and Human Services. Disclosure, though, doesn't mean mandated elimination of those chemicals, leaving the onus on workers to reduce their exposure. "It's as safe a job as you can make it," says...