OSHA, L.A., More Air-Aware

According to the Nail Manufacturers Council (NMC) Safety & Standards Committee, last April OSHA published a proposal for an indoor air rule that would require employers to set up and implement an indoor air plan. The indoor air plan would take into account the control of contaminants such as carbon dio9xide, spores, and fungi and would require employers to maintain a log of employee complaints about air and to follow strict smoke-control guidelines.

In addition, says the NMC, a bill has been approved by the House Energy and Commerce Committee that would require the EPA to study the causes of indoor air pollution and educate the public about its hazard.

In a related story, the NMC reports that a recent California regulation prohibits the sale or manufacture of any product that contains VOCs in excess it’s specified limits. Some products mentioned in the regulation include air fresheners, hair sprays, hair mousses, hairstyling gels, nail polish removers, and personal fragrance products. Regardless of the product category, however a clause provides that if a product “is suitable for use as a consumer product for which a lower VOC standards is specified, then the lowest VOC standards will apply.”

The South Coast Air Quality Management District, which represents the Los Angeles basin area received complaints of odors at more than 185 nail salons from 1986 to 1994, says the NMC. The district now proposes to establish a series of public awareness programs to educate salon owners on how to reduce voc emissions. There is no enforcement or compliance provision attached to this measure, but the NMC says that its adoption indicates an awareness of a potential problem by regulators, which could lead to regulation in the future.