Disinfection & SafetyQuestion 29 of 100
Why is MMA (methyl methacrylate) monomer prohibited in nail products in California?
a.It cures too slowly, and clients will not sit still long enough for it to harden.
b.It costs much more than the approved monomers.
c.It does not hold color well and turns yellow in sunlight.
d.It bonds far too aggressively and cures far too hard, so the enhancement will not soak off — the natural nail plate tears, thins or lifts off with it — and it can cause allergic contact dermatitis and lasting nail damage.
Explanation
Option D states the real reason: MMA is not a nail-product monomer, it grips harder than the nail plate itself, so the nail gives way before the product does, and repeated exposure sensitizes the skin. EMA (ethyl methacrylate) is the accepted monomer for salon use. MMA is actually cheap and cures quickly, which is exactly why some shops use it, so A and B are backwards, and yellowing (C) is a cosmetic issue, not the reason for the ban.
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Related questions on this topic
- While you are trimming a hangnail, the nipper nicks the client's skin and it starts to bleed. What is the correct thing to do?
- After you bandage the client's finger, your table has a cotton ball, a gauze square and a paper towel with blood on them. How do you dispose of them?
- The metal nipper that caused the nick has blood on the blade. What do you do with that implement?
- A new client says that at her last salon the acrylic would not dissolve in acetone, the technician had to grind it off with a very coarse drill bit, the set felt unusually hard and heavy, and the shop had a strong strange odor. What do these signs point to?
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- A regular client points at the thick callus on her heel and asks you to just shave it off with a credo blade the way her last salon did. What is the correct response?
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