Chemical Exposures and Reproductive Health of Nail Technicians

Recorded on June 8, 2021

With Rocky Mountain Center for Occupational and Environmental Health, University of Utah

Chemical Exposures and Reproductive Health of Nail Technicians

About the Webinar:

Nail technicians represent an under-studied occupation in terms of health and safety. Current research in this area will be presented, including chemical exposure measurements, reproductive health surveys, and future goals for community engagement.

Learning Objectives

  1. Review the chemical exposure potential in the nail industry
  2. Identify the potential reproductive health issues these workers might face
  3. Discuss needs for future research in the nail industry

Instructor: Darrah Sleeth, PhD, MPH, CIH

Dr. Sleeth is an Associate Professor at the University of Utah Rocky Mountain Center for Occupational & Environmental Health in the Department of Family & Preventive Medicine. She earned a PhD in Industrial Health and an MPH in Industrial Hygiene & Hazardous Substances from the University of Michigan, as well as a BA in Integrative Biology from the University of California, Berkeley. She has also qualified as a Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH). Her research interests include exposure assessment for airborne respiratory hazards, particle size selective sampling methods, and indoor air quality. Her overall research goal is to improve exposure assessment for occupational and environmental stressors in order to keep workers and the community healthy. Her laboratory work has involved the design of a low speed wind tunnel for controlled exposure studies, which has subsequently been used for air sampler design and testing of both existing and novel air samplers. Her fieldwork is focused on understanding occupational and environmental exposures in a variety of settings, with ongoing collaboration from government, industry and community partners.

Rocky Mountain Center for Occupational and Environmental Health, University of Utah