Sir: That shiny blue colour, flaunting all of its metallic glory on your painted nails, might add a flash of style to your fingers, but it is wreaking havoc on the environment, and your health. You are no eco-dummy. You do not need to do hefty research to know that a product that comes in every colour is anything but natural. What makes that glossy nail polish so eye-catching shiny and able to stick to your nails for days? Of course, it is because of many chemicals. Up until recently, most conventional nail polishes found on store shelves offered up a noxious ingredient list of substances including the ‘toxic trio’, formaldehyde, toluene and dibutyl phthalate, or DBP. Formaldehyde is the stuff used to preserve dead things; it is a known human carcinogen and can also cause eye, throat, nose and skin irritation. DBP is a known reproductive and developmental toxin, while toluene is a possible reproductive and developmental toxin and can cause headaches, dizziness and fatigue. All of these chemicals can be absorbed into the body through the nail bed. These toxic substances may be used under different labels. Just because a nail polish does not contain the toxic trio does not mean it is all good. Conventional nail polishes often contain other potentially dangerous chemicals, including ethyl acetate, isopropyl alcohol, fragrances, dyes and more. The harmful compounds in nail polishes put more than your health at risk. When tossed into trash, they release their toxicity into soil and groundwater, and that is quite an environmental price for stylish nails. Think about it. You would not throw house paint into garbage, and conventional nail polishes are just paint after all. Many cities’ household hazardous waste departments list nail polishes as one of the hazardous waste products. That means nail polishes sit right up there on the same unfriendly scale as car batteries and insecticides. What should an eco-beauty queen with a love for colourful digits do? Look for companies that offer nail polishes formulated without harmful chemicals by checking to see if they have signed a compact with the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. SYEDA BUSHRA ZAIDI Karachi