× The federal government has shut down due to the failures of the President and Congress to continue government funding. Millions of Californians receiving benefits from state programs may be impacted. For now, California’s Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) will continue to provide services and enroll eligible families as long as funding is available. No new federal funding to California WIC will be provided until the President and Congress take action. Families should continue to use their WIC benefits and attend their WIC appointments. This information is subject to change, so please monitor the California WIC website for updates.

Please be wary of potential highly partisan political messaging while visiting federal government websites for information related to the federal government shutdown.

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OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH BRANCH

Occupational Health Watch: DropperJanuary 2021 

Fragrance Ingredients & Work-Related Asthma

Fragrance ingredients such as those found in perfumes,  essential oils, air fresheners, and cleaning products can cause and trigger asthma. Fragrance products are used in many California workplaces and have been associated with over 350 cases of work-related asthma investigated by the Occupational Health Branch.

OHB’s Work-Related Asthma Prevention Program (WRAPP) collaborated with research partners at the University of Melbourne, James Cook University, and RMIT University (formerly known as Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology) to conduct chemical analyses of car air fresheners and essential oils. The results showed that hundreds of unique volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including asthma-causing chemicals and many other hazardous compounds, were found among the 12 car air fresheners and 14 essential oils analyzed. The results were published in the journal Air Quality, Atmosphere, and Health.

To help California workers and employers address fragrances and work-related asthma, WRAPP created a web page dedicated to this issue. It features publications in multiple languages, a model fragrance-free workplace policy, and resources to find products that do not contain fragrances.


CarAirFreshnr
Air fresheners can have ingredients that cause or trigger asthma.


Email OHW@cdph.ca.gov with feedback about this update or change of address.

    
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