Extraction Ventilation for good health

[Deni]

Hi..
For several months/weeks on and off i have not felt well.
Always the same things. Headaches, nausea, chest pains and feeling dizzy kinda spaced out.
This as increasingly got worse to the point where i had to visit my doctor, something i dislike doing.
He did blood tests..nothing!
Said it could be stress, gave me pills..eek they made me worse!
Then said could be my inner ear but didn't really think so but gave me stemitil. They helped me cope but the symptoms didn't go away.

This is over the last month and when we chatted about this holiday it came out about me being a nail technician..His face was a picture..It was although someone had switched a light on.
My doctor is from Holland and he suddenly realised he had seen the symptoms on a few occasions before with nail technicians (some he said were a lot worse than mine too!) but not in this country!..He thinks i have solvent abuse caused by breathing in too much solvent vapors!

The scariest thing is though he doesnt know if my health problems will get better or not depending on how much damage has been done!

Before you all jump down my throat. I work very very clean and health conscious already. I go by all the rules including an extraction fan in the wall in my room and also in my desk but these obviously are NOT enough!

But what IS enough? i have searched and searched but cannot find any answers!

It means I have to stop doing nails (at least until i can find adequate extraction) and i am feeling a great sense of loss at the moment.

Am i alone with my health problems?

Is there adequete extraction available?

Please help me find the answers before i loss my client base..x

 

[geeg]

There is absolutely no proof that this is your problem and I seriously doubt that it is either.

If this were the case, it would have been reported 1000's of times in the USA where nail technicians have been working with SAFE levels of solvents for years and years. Products would have been banned as being dangerous to health etc etc. I think he is talking rubbish.

Levels have been measured again to ascertain the safe levels (PPM) and nail technicians work Way below the levels that are considered unsafe ,.. even the ones who are not careful and have no ventilation which in fact is more for dust than vapors.

I think this post will be scaremongering and get allot of people worried for nothing AND you have absolutely no proof of what you are saying and neither does the Doctor. If you had overdosed on product and solvent vapors, it would show up in your blood stream.

 

[inspirations]

Long time no speak.

I have been replying to a thread about ventilation. There are a few up at the moment.

I have been suffering with the same symptoms as you.

Let me know how you feel soon....hope you get better!!
xxxx

 

[scratchmyback]

I would have to agree with Geeg on her viewpoint but I am no scientist or doctor. I'm not saying you have this, but those symptoms you described are what I had last year and I was diagnosed with a mild case of vertigo. Perhaps your doctor could refer you to an ear/nose/throat specialist just to have a look?

Laura

 

[Deni]

Gosh..

Gigi i certainly didnt expect that kind of responce from you!

I was posting about a situation with my health and my career in nails.

Do i need proof that the doctor said that to me?...No i don't.

I posted asking for help from my fellow geeks...surely if this problem IS widespread it should be out in the open?

 

[inspirations]

I posted asking for help from my fellow geeks...surely if this problem IS widespread it should be out in the open?

"Here! Here!" that is what the forum is for isn't it?!

Just to clarify...I do not mean Scaremongering or false statements, I mean, to get advise and talk openly about a problem we are genuinely going through!!

 

[Deni]

Hi...

The doctor did say to me that he will want to carry out various tests on me not sure what yet.

The blood test were for diabetis Sp? and thyroid as this was the obvious answer to him.

He did various balance test and this is why he ruled out vertigo but this was all before he knew i was a nail technician.

 

[loualarta]

When the previous owners of the salon I worked in first introduced nails our then receptionist said that it was making her feel ill, she had coughs breathing problems the lot. the put in extraction and put the nail desk almost righ in front of the door and moved her further away from it. we only ever then used creative products so everything was of the highest quality but her symptoms got worse. in the end she had to leave and doctors said she could ahd had a reaction to something in the products that had caused permenant damage, she even looked into suing the salon (not quite sure wot the outcome was). My point is could you be allergic to something, have you changed any of you products or anything in your home that could have triggered this?

 

[MINKUS]

could you try using gel for a bit - to see if anything changes?


If it doesnt you'll know its something else:hug:

Hope you get it sorted babes.

Amb x

 

[geeg]

Gosh..

Gigi i certainly didnt expect that kind of responce from you!

I was posting about a situation with my health and my career in nails.

Do i need proof that the doctor said that to me?...No i don't.

I posted asking for help from my fellow geeks...surely if this problem IS widespread it should be out in the open?

First of all, the problem is not widespread -

2ndly no one is questioning what your dr said to you ... but your doctor has no proof at all at this moment in time of what is causing your problem.

Here here that is what the forum is for isn't it?!

I don't think this forum is for supposition and scaremongering. When there is proof positive then is the time to give useful advise to others who may be affected.

 

[Pirate Sarah]

I agree with what geeg says,

I have been having similar symptoms and its nothing to do with the use of nail products.

 

[Klassy Klaws]

I have no doubt that you are suffering from something but I do have to agree with Gigi about scaremongering especially for those who are new to nails and don't have all the info about the products and who work from a home salon as the thought of maybe causing your family problems isn't a very nice thought.

Please don't feel that I am being in any way nasty towards you as thats the last thing I intended I wish you all the best and a speedy recovery:hug:

 

[naturalnails]

We all know that doctors dont know everything and in some cases they will look for the most obvious answer first. How many times have we advised a client to visit her doctor and the first thing they blame is her beautiful nail enhancements - when we know the problem is not the nails.

I have had health problems lasting over two years - they suspected asthma and when I mentioned what I did and if it was a factor - I was told, probably not as I have been a nail tech for 6 years and the problem only appeared two years ago and it is really only bad in the Summer.

As has been said, think of all the nail technicians in the world who do not take care of their working environment - if this was a major problem then we would know about it. There have been threads in the past about safe working limits where Doug Schoon has posted.

Sorry Deni to hear you are suffering but maybe you should have waited until you got results before posting this worrying thread.

We all remember the issue about workplaces harming your unborn child. What a hornets nest that opened.

 

[Deni]

I have no doubt that you are suffering from something but I do have to agree with Gigi about scaremongering especially for those who are new to nails and don't have all the info about the products and who work from a home salon as the thought of maybe causing your family problems isn't a very nice thought.

Gosh Karen..If my illness scares people into considering the type of extraction they NEED as a nail technician then so be it...I really didnt intend this to happen but like many things in the nail industry as we all know it should be regulated...as it isnt sharing with each other is the best way we learn good things and bad things to make our work ife the best we can.

Maybe i shouldnt have said anything at all and just gave up!

 

[Pickle]

First of all, hun I hope you feel better soon.:hug:

Next, it may because of your job or it may not be but I am sure the doctors will get to the bottom of it soon.
However, as there is no real proof that vapour in Acrylic and fumes from dust are not completely safe to an unborn baby I have stopped doing acrylic while I am pregnant but have continued using bio gel as there is no vapour and almost no dust at all...I certainly don't cough anymore.

 

[Deni]

We all know that doctors dont know everything and in some cases they will look for the most obvious answer first. How many times have we advised a client to visit her doctor and the first thing they blame is her beautiful nail enhancements - when we know the problem is not the nails.

I have had health problems lasting over two years - they suspected asthma and when I mentioned what I did and if it was a factor - I was told, probably not as I have been a nail tech for 6 years and the problem only appeared two years ago and it is really only bad in the Summer.

As has been said, think of all the nail technicians in the world who do not take care of their working environment - if this was a major problem then we would know about it. There have been threads in the past about safe working limits where Doug Schoon has posted.

Sorry Deni to hear you are suffering but maybe you should have waited until you got results before posting this worrying thread.

We all remember the issue about workplaces harming your unborn child. What a hornets nest that opened.

I posted hoping to get some answers to my problem..extraction!

Yes i could have waited but fiona this is my doc saying this to me not me saying this..and by the time the tests are done my clients will have gone elsewhere..i dont want to give up nails i love it with a passion but desperatly need some extraction so it doesnt make me ill..x

 

[Zingara]

Oh Deni, I'm so sorry to hear you've not been well. You must be feeling horrible with illness and then on top worrying that you may have to give up doing nails!

Whatever the cause, I hope you get it sorted soon, and feel sure you'll find a way...I've been having massive allergy problems and was scared I was going to have to give up nails, but I think I'm working a way through them.

Like Amber says, try a different system maybe? Gel or Fabric. You never know, it scould work! I think most customers will work with you as it is often your skill, and the quality of the products they don't want to lose, as opposed to the system.

Hope you sort it soon :hug:

 

[naturalnails]

Deni, there was a thread recently about extraction and there was a "debate" going betwen Sam and "Purex".

The concern I have for you in your current situation is that you might go and spend loads of money on something that may not in reality help you.

I dont know what your situation is where you work, but I have a hole cut into the top of my desk and a kitchen/bathroom extractor fan fitted with a long tumble dryer type hose attached which is then vented to the outside. Not pretty, but reasonbly cheap and very effective.

Hope that helps you a bit. Sorry if I sound like I was getting at you - I didnt mean it that way.

 

[geeg]

I thought you indicated that you had both wall and desk extraction units in your workroom/salon?

Most nail companies recommend extraction ventilation. This is usually desk extraction which means taking dust (mainly) and vapors away form the immediate working area and your breathing zone, and clean air circulating back into the room. In other words EXCHANGING air.

You seem to be doing this although 99% of nail technicians do not. According to manufacturers, extraction ventilation is enough. In fact more than enough. Maybe it would be helpful to know exactly what extraction systems you have in place and if they are in fact extracting (filters regularly changed etc) and doing the job they are meant to do.

I would be seeking a second opinion.

 

[Karren]

Are you working with a mask ??? i know its not the ideal but i have found i have to work with one, just during the filing processes - i too have extraction in the room to outside and in my desk

Try a mask (nice pink ones from DN !) at least it should help in the short term

kx

I posted hoping to get some answers to my problem..extraction!

Yes i could have waited but fiona this is my doc saying this to me not me saying this..and by the time the tests are done my clients will have gone elsewhere..i dont want to give up nails i love it with a passion but desperatly need some extraction so it doesnt make me ill..x