LOWELL, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — After a nail polish chemical was banned in the EU, UMass Lowell researchers have given their take on the matter.

Trimethylbenzoyl diphenylphosphine oxide, or TPO, is used help harden gel nail polish fast under UV light.

According to the Senior Safer Chemistry Scientist at Massachusetts Toxics Use Reduction Institute (TURI) at UMass Lowell Alicia McCarthy, however, there are some toxic effects when using polish with this chemical.

“With these chemicals, because they react to UV light, they’re skin sensitizers, which basically means that it can cause an allergy over time to UV light and make your skin itchy or break out into hives,” McCarthy said.

TURI is an organization that specializes in finding safer chemicals for businesses to use.

McCarthy explained that this effect was even more of a concern when someone has weaker nails or gets their nails filed after applying the polish, both for the person who’s getting their nails done and the technician themselves.

“The risk is really dependent on exposure and also habits and in the quality of your nails as well,” McCarthy said. “When you're removing that top nail part, the chemicals can possibly increase exposure to the person that's getting it done as well as the worker, the nail technician.”

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She said that the European Union has already been banned due to this side effect.

“Knowing it's the EU, they're trying to be preventive because they see something of concern,” she said.

The United States has yet to ban it, but McCarthy said that they are looking for alternatives that could accomplish the same goal as the current nail polish without the effects that come with it.

“In Massachusetts, we don't ban chemicals,” she said. We work with companies and communities one-on-one to be able to find safer alternatives so they can easily be able to replace that in a holistic manner.”

This search has proven to be a bit of a process.

“Many of these chemicals that have those properties tend to have similar skin sensitizing allergy specific outcomes,” she said.

WBZ NewsRadio’s Emma Friedman (@EmmaFriedmanWBZ) reports.

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