The National Health Security Agency (Ansm) warns of the risk of burns, especially for children, linked to the glue to apply false nails. Reactions can be serious, causing skin burns when glue is sprayed on clothing.
Skin burn through clothing
The application of false nails has known a craze for several years. Since the start of the Covid-19 health crisis, many people have been sticking false nails at home, which favors the use of cyanoacrylate glues. These glues, if they come into direct contact with the skin, are ” generally not serious », Says Ansm. On the other hand, if the glue is sprayed on clothing, in particular wool or cotton, the reaction is amplified by the fabric. It can then be responsible for skin burns, due to the heat released almost instantly. A team of scientists in Australia conducted an experimental study to better understand this phenomenon. She measured ” the temperatures generated following the projection of cyanoacrylate glue on cotton “. It turns out that a minute and a half after application, the temperature reached 91 ° C. Furthermore, “ it took more than three minutes for the temperature to drop below 40 ° C “.
In addition, the glue is fluid and when it comes into contact with a fabric, it diffuses. As a result, the area of skin that is burned or undergoes a reaction is enlarged.
“Until requiring a skin graft”
In November 2020, poison control centers reported two cases of severe burns from using the glue to apply false nails. It was a 20 month old baby girl whose left wrist was in contact with glue through her jersey. She presented a “ deep second degree burn And required a skin graft. Another 2-year-old girl was also burned in the second degree. The product had spilled onto the girl’s hand and forearm, through her pajama top. About twenty other cases have been reported to date, according to the scientific literature, the majority of which are children. Among them, another case of second degree burn was identified as well as a case requiring a skin graft.
Products to be kept “out of the reach of children”
These glues are sold freely in shops or on the internet. Messages regarding the risk of burns through clothing may not appear clear. Sometimes they are nonexistent. This is why the Agency calls for compliance with the requirements of European regulations as well as clearer and more visible labeling for “ strengthen consumer information on what to do in the event of a screening “. In addition, the Ansm should remember that these products must be inaccessible to children. In the event of a burn, it is essential to apply ” immediately cold soapy water »On the glue projection area. This measure limits “ the area and depth of the burn “. It is also necessary to consult a doctor quickly.
