Acetone, Ethyl Acetate and Acetonitrile

Acetone, Ethyl Acetate and Acetonitrile. What do these three have in common? They all contain the word “ace”? They all end in the letter “E”? They all would make good baby names? Well – true, true and I really hope not (hope I didn’t give anyone any ideas).

The answer that pertains to this article is that they have all been used in nail polish remover and they all can harm you – one of them can even cause death.

Ace #1

The most well known “ace” of the trio is of course acetone. Everybody knows about this popular solvent that can literally strip paint off of walls. Acetone can also dissolve certain plastics. Try filling a container with acetone and dropping in a Styrofoam cup. You’ll have white goop in no time! Believe it or not though, acetone is even found in your bodies in small quantities.

So how can something found in our bodies be harmful to us? I did say it is found in “small quantities”. Due to its massive drying out ability, when we douse our nails and surrounding skin with it, you know what happens? It causes our cuticles and nail beds to dry out significantly. This leads to dry, white, brittle and unhealthy looking nails.

Acetone vapors have even been said to cause lung disorders and even eye damage via corneal clouding (makes you want to wear safety goggles to remove your polish right?).

Aces little sister Ethyl

Acetones sister, Ethyl, or should I call her by her full name Ethyl Acetate isn’t much better either. Present in all wines, this colorless liquid has a slightly sweet, fruity scent. Don’t be fooled by her fruity smell though, she is often used to wash away flux residue from circuit boards. Ms. Acetate (as I normally call her) is also dehydrating just like her big brother although not as bad. And just like acetone, the vapors can get to you as well causing dizziness, nausea, loss of consciousness etc.

The “Ace” of Spades: Acetonitrile

The big bully of the three however, would have to be Acetonitrile.This colorless liquid is a really good solvent and is used a great deal in chromatography and pharmaceuticals and film manufacturing.

Acetonitrile itself isn’t highly toxic, but it is prone to becoming highly toxic. It metabolizes (especially when swallowed) to produce hydrogen cyanide. Yes, that last word is cyanide as in cyanide poisoning. Though rare, cases of cyanide poisoning after exposure to Acetonitrile are known either through inhalation, ingestion and possibly skin absorption.

Symptoms usually don’t appear for several hours after exposure and are the same as with cyanide poisoning. Meaning it can get as worse as a coma followed by death due to respiratory failure or cardiac arrest.

Due to this possible poisoning risk, acetonitrile has been banned in cosmetics by the European Economic Area since March 2000. Research has suggested that since manufacturers clearly state the product is poisonous when ingested and no cases of poisoning due to skin absorption of Acetonitrile have been recorded in the USA, the FDA does not have authority to restrict its sale because no injury has resulted from the product being used according to the manufacturers directions. Thus, making a conscious effort to avoid this chemical might be a good idea.

Cure worse than the affliction

Many believe it’s the polish that harms the nails, when it’s actually the products contained in the polish remover. Talk about the cure being worse than the affliction! Not only will all of these products dry out your nail beds and cuticles and make them white and brittle, they will all irritate or inflame your skin in some way with prolonged exposure.

Their vapors will cause undesired effects (respiratory problems, nausea, dizziness etc) along with other possible health risks if used too liberally and too often. It is suggested not to remove nail polish more than once a week to limit exposure to these harsh chemicals.

To limit the drying out effect of these, try to use removers enriched with moisturizers and vitamins. At least when the harsh chemicals quickly evaporate they will leave behind these moisturizers and vitamins on your skin and nails.

Always try to read labels and know what is in what you put on your nails and skin. There are and most likely will be other harmful chemicals used in nail polish remover and other everyday products we use. It pays to stay informed about what manufacturers are putting into these items.

Conclusion

We are not trying to advocate that people stop using nail polish and nail polish removers. This article is merely to bring to mind the health risks involved in splashing this stuff liberally all over your body and then taking deep breaths of the vapors. Just as with everything else in life, moderation is key and overdoing it usually has consequences.

You probably can’t get around using acetone and other nail removers anyway, but you don’t have to bathe in them. Try not to be too sloppy when removing polish, and try not to have your nostrils right over the applicator to get a first dose of vapors. Once you don’t overdo it, you should be fine.

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