Working as a manicurist has its hazards. Dust from filing nails and chemical vapor from applying the plasticiser triphenyl phosphate, toluene, methyl methacrylate, and acetone when cleaning, coloring, and decorating nails can be inhaled even with two surgical masks covering the nose and mouth.

Ex-manicurist Duyen (not her real name), a mother of two who worked for 20 years at nail salons in Brisbane, Australia, recalls the constant headaches and runny nose she suffered at work despite wearing masks, ABC reports.

The same thing happened to another former manicurist, Anmi, who was interviewed by ABC. The Vietnamese immigrant (also using a pseudonym) worked as a manicurist in Australia for more than 10 years.

Shamshad Karatela, an environmental epidemiologist at Monash University, said a range of studies, mostly from the United States, documented nail salon worker health symptoms like irritation of the nose, throat, lungs, and skin, as well as respiratory issues and headaches, according to ABC.

The studies suggested that nail salons are hazardous working environments due to the volatile organic compounds lingering in the air, ABC says.

Meanwhile, a manicurist proved helpful during a medical emergency in China.

A 28-year-old woman from Hunan province suffered a heart attack on 5 February and was rushed to the People’s Hospital where doctors tried to save her.

It was necessary to determine the patient’s blood oxygen level and the medical staff fitted her with a fingertip pulse oximeter. The device, however, could not get any data as the thick gel holding the patient’s fake fingernails in place blocked the infrared light rays the oximeter emits for measuring the hemoglobin level, The Star reports.

The medical team could not remove the gel that was tightly packed on the nail so they summoned a manicurist who used professional tools to remove the gel and make the oximeter work, saving the patient’s life, according to The Star.