The new Nail
Table from Purex marries industrial extraction and filter technology
with a sleek and curvy nail table. Jon Young - Marketing Manager
for Purex explains its origins.
The initial design was conceived after a local spa owner contacted Purex revealing that there was a problem with dust and fumes in the nail salon. On investigation we (Purex) identified four areas where dust and fumes were generated during work.
Shaping Nails
The first is shaping nails with either a file or a drill. The dust produced is very fine which means that it can settle in the lungs and go on to cause occupational asthma which may affect a person for life. The dust may infect the eyes causing conjunctivitis plus, filing human nails can release a cloud of bacteria into the air which can also be breathed in. A recent university publication on chiropodists (who probably carry out less filing than nail techs) showed that asthma levels in workers were 4 times the national average.
Nail Products
The second cause for concern is the products that techs use e.g. acetone, activators etc. which can contain a wide variety of chemicals which evaporate on use. Now, most people would not be concerned about using these at home but a nail tech is exposed to these vapours all day. Salon owners should check the labels on these products and contact either the supplier, Purex or their local Health and Safety office for guidance.
Bottles and Dishes
The third area where fumes can pollute the salon is where open bottles and dishes containing chemicals are left open on the desk and the fourth area is where bottles etc. are stored.
So, what to do?
I have seen nail techs who are pregnant and obviously concerned about this subject wearing a face mask but, do they wear it all the time, is the filtration of the mask good enough for small dust particles, and what about chemical vapours?
Dust masks do not stop you breathing chemical vapours.
It also begs the question, why only wear a mask when pregnant? This may be because of the recent spate of alarmist articles in the press about risks to unborn babies, but every technician’s health should be protected.
Many salon owners and techs at the recent shows we have attended told us that they had previously bought small filter fans that sit on the desk but don’t do much other than blow fumes around the salon. You can also get small carbon filters for your desk but they do not last very long before they are saturated nor do they filter dust or rising vapour fumes.
More seriously, environmental health officers have informed us recently that they are considering enforcement notices on nail salons who do not take action to adequately control dust and fumes.
Rule of thumb: If you have bought a filter and your salon is covered in dust and still smells, it ain’t workin!
If nail techs and clients are to have protection against dust and fumes then all four of these ‘dust and fume generation areas’ must be dealt with.
   
To do this the Purex Nail table has 4-point extraction.
- A flexible stainless steel arm sucks in rising fumes from chemical products when they are applied to the nail. Without this they would rise straight up the tech’s nose! Another feature of the arm is that it also contains a halogen work lamp which does not get hot because cooling air is drawn over it. Neat!
- A stainless steel vented disk is recessed into the table. Shaping/filing work is carried out over this and any dust is drawn down into the system away from the tech and the client.
- Smelly chemicals in dishes, pots and bottles can be placed in the cowl area. Any fumes are drawn into this area and down into the filter system
- Pots, bottles, dishes, brushes or anything which may have traces of chemical left on them can be stored in the vented drawer where any remaining fumes are removed.
Once any dust enters the table it is drawn down into a dust filter pad which is quick and simple to replace. Fumes and smells are ‘chemically locked’ into a separate filter which contains a massive amount of specially blended activated carbon media. Purified, clean, fresh air is then returned to the salon.
The table is precision made from a material which is both chemical and scratch resistant and is easy to clean. The tables are available in wicked white or beautiful beech.
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