IAQ Testing Services

Huntington Beach, CA, March 26^th, 2020

Last month, the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) declared the agency was proposing to list nail products containing methyl methacrylate (MMA) as a Priority Product with a Chemical of Concern.

In announcing the proposal, DTSC stated the following:

Methyl methacrylate is a volatile monomer used in some nail products; MMA is released from these products into air and can be inhaled. Dermal and oral exposure to MMA from nail products can also occur. MMA has been detected in retail nail products for home use as well as in indoor air in nail salons. In the early 1970s, the FDA removed the nail products containing 100 percent MMA from the market and in 2015 California’s Board of Barbering and Cosmetology (BBC) prohibited the use of MMA-containing nail products in licensed hair and nail salons and cosmetology schools through regulation. Despite these regulatory actions, MMA continues to be detected in indoor air in nail salons. MMA exposure has been linked to adverse health effects including dermal toxicity and respiratory tract effects.

“Nail products that may contain MMA represent 62% of total nail product sales in the United States according to the DTSC,” said Michael Chapman, Laboratory Manager of LA Testing’s Huntington Beach facility. “The agency also reports that retail nail products sales exceed $1 billion annually and the products are used by approximately 100 million women in this country alone. Both nail technicians and people using these products at home could be exposed to elevated levels of this chemical through inhalation or from dermal contact.”

The scientists at LA Testing provide indoor environmental quality (IEQ) and product testing services for methyl methacrylate and many other potential chemical hazards. With multiple laboratories in California, LA Testing provides laboratory analysis and all of the sampling supplies needed. These services are also available to product manufacturers, importers, distributors, retailers, regulatory agencies, health professionals and the public.

To learn more about this or other product testing, industrial hygiene, indoor air quality, environmental, health and safety services, please visit www.LATesting.com, email info@LATesting.com or call (800) 755-1794.


About LA Testing
LA Testing is California’s leading laboratory for indoor air quality testing of asbestos, mold, lead, VOCs, formaldehyde, soot, char, ash and smoke damage, particulates and other chemicals. In addition, LA Testing offers a full range of air sampling and investigative equipment to professionals and the general public. LA Testing maintains an extensive list of accreditations including: : AIHA-LAP, LLC (AIHA-LAP, LLC EMLAP, AIHA-LAP, LLC IHLAP, AIHA-LAP, LLC ELLAP), CDC ELITE, NVLAP, State of California, State of Hawaii Department of Health and other states. LA Testing, along with the EMSL Analytical, Inc. network, has multiple laboratories throughout California including South Pasadena, Huntington Beach, San Leandro, San Diego and Ontario.