Welcome to Asian Communities for Reproductive Justice

Participatory research, Organizing and Leadership Initiative for Safety and Health (POLISH)

The POLISH Initiative works with two key constituencies, teenage Asian consumers and Vietnamese nail salon workers, to bring accountability and institutional change to the issue of toxins in personal care products, and is part of larger statewide and national efforts to mandate stronger regulation and ban the most harmful chemicals. POLISH uses core strategies of popular education and community-based participatory research combined with leadership development and community organizing. ACRJ youth leaders have discovered, through their community research, that Asian women and girls are exposed to dangerous chemicals not only through occupational hazards, but also through everyday use of shampoo, lotion, deodorant, toothpaste and cosmetics. Youth leaders are currently researching the degree to which Asian women, girls and nail salon workers are exposed to toxins through personal use and professional occupation in the nail salon industry. POLISH works to:

* Achieve 1 – 2 public policy or corporate changes designed to lessen exposures to hazardous chemicals in personal care products in personal use and in the workplace; and

* Build capacity and leadership of Asian women girls and women to identify environmental health problems and improve their community’s health status.

Check out the new POLISH website for information, resources and the latest news!



	POLISH Participatory research, Organizing and Leadership Initiative for Safety and Health (POLISH) The POLISH Initiative works with two key constituencies, teenage Asian consumers and Vietnamese nail salon workers, to bring accountability and institutional change to the issue of toxins in personal care products, and is part of larger statewide and national efforts to mandate stronger regulation and ban the most harmful chemicals. POLISH uses core strategies of popular education and community-based participatory research combined with leadership development and community organizing. ACRJ youth leaders have discovered, through their community research, that Asian women and girls are exposed to dangerous chemicals not only through occupational hazards, but also through everyday use of shampoo, lotion, deodorant, toothpaste and cosmetics. Youth leaders are currently researching the degree to which Asian women, girls and nail salon workers are exposed to toxins through personal use and professional occupation in the nail salon industry. POLISH works to: * Achieve 1 – 2 public policy or corporate changes designed to lessen exposures to hazardous chemicals in personal care products in personal use and in the workplace; and * Build capacity and leadership of Asian women girls and women to identify environmental health problems and improve their community’s health status. Check out the new POLISH website for information, resources and the latest news!