Abstract
The staff working at beauty centers are exposed to various chemical products used daily in their working environment. Both hair dressers and nail technicians are exposed to chemicals that are known to have an influence on the respiratory system. In order to evaluate such influence, this cross-sectional observational study was conducted on a randomly selected 14 beauty centers in Dammam City, Saudi Arabia. At the investigated salons, both of respiratory symptoms and the quality of air were evaluated and data were analyzed statistically. 40.5% out of the 79 subjects included in the study were hairdressers, 17.7% were nail technicians and (41.8%) were working in both of the previously mentioned areas as part of their everyday practice. The staff complained of respiratory symptoms which include dyspnea, cough, phlegm, wheeze, and shortness of breath. Both hairdressers and nail technicians developed respiratory symptoms while working in the salons. Indoor Air pollution was assessed and many data were out of the normal standard ranges which include: relative humidity (RH), volatile organic compounds (VOC), carbon dioxide (CO2), and ammonia (NH3). We conclude that good ventilation is required to reduce the influence of such substances on the respiratory symptoms of the staff working at salons.