Check out this article from The Nation on Nail Polish and the hazards of working with it day in and day out.

Understanding the Dangers of Phthalates in Nailpolish
Some Links of Interest:

Decrease in Anogenital Distance among Male Infants with Prenatal Phthalate Exposure ys

Parents needn't wait for legislation to shield kids from toxins in products

Aggregate Exposures to Phthalates in Humans

China toothpaste scare spreads

Nicaraguan police have seized more than 40,000 tubes of Chinese-made toothpaste suspected of containing a chemical that killed at least 51 people in Panama last year.

The move follows the seizure in the US earlier this week of all imported Chinese toothpaste to test for diethylene glycol, a substance used in anti-freeze and brake fluid.

Read the rest of this story via Al Jazeera

I just want to remind everyone that Propylene Glycol is also a substnace found in anti-freeze and industrial floor cleaners, etc. Propylene glycol is the "safer" anti-freeze substance only in that it is less toxic than diethylene glycol. Although approved as safe by the FDA, PG remains a controversial ingredient.

In Greek Mythology, Hygieia was the goddess of health, cleanliness and sanitation. Grandaughter of Apollo and daughter of Asklepios, the god of medicine and healing, she was associated with the prevention of sickness and the continuation of good health.

She was often depicted as a young woman feeding a large snake that was wrapped around her body. Sometimes the snake would be drinking from a jar that she carred. Her sacred snake together with the rod of Asklepios, is today the symbol for medicine.

Her name is the source of the word hygiene.