California Workers Exposed to Fragrances and the Potential for Work-Related Asthma

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) reported that fragrance ingredients used in perfume, personal care products, cleaning products and air fresheners can trigger asthma. The agency also stated that fragranced products used in many California workplaces have been associated with numerous cases of work-related asthma.

CDPH has disclosed the following:

The Work-Related Asthma Prevention Program (WRAPP) has tracked hundreds of asthma cases associated with fragrances at work. These worker illnesses occurred in many indoor work settings like schools, hospitals, offices and manufacturing. WRAPP found that perfume was the ninth most common exposure reported by people with asthma related to their work. Nearly a quarter of the cases associated with fragrances were new-onset asthma, meaning the workers reported no prior history of asthma.

WRAPP fact sheets highlight several case studies and offer tips to help prevent asthma in the workplace from exposure to perfumes and fragrances. Suggestions include:

• Training employees about the health effects of fragrances.
• Having a fragrance-free policy.
• Prohibiting the use of air fresheners in the workplace.
• Fixing or removing what is causing bad odors.
• Choosing fragrance-free cleaning products.
• Bringing in adequate fresh air from the outside.

“Work-related asthma, also referred to as occupational asthma, is a lung disease that can cause shortness of breath, chest tightness, coughing and wheezing after exposure to an allergen or irritant at work,” said Michael Chapman, Laboratory Manager of LA Testing’s Huntington Beach facility. “To help prevent new cases of work-related asthma and mitigate exposure risks for those who already have the condition, LA Testing offers a wide range of air and indoor environmental quality (IEQ) testing services to identify both chemical and microbial pollutants known to cause or exacerbate respiratory diseases.”

LA Testing has also sponsored an educational video about fragrances and work-related asthma that can be seen at: https://youtu.be/jY5G5Qha3VY.

To learn more about this or other indoor air quality, environmental, occupational, health and safety testing services, please visit www.LATesting.com, email info@LATesting.com or call (800) 755-1794. For access to IEQ test kits, visit www.EMSLTestKits.com.


About LA Testing
LA Testing is California’s leading laboratory for indoor air quality testing of asbestos, mold, lead, VOCs, formaldehyde, soot, char, ash and smoke damage, particulates and other chemicals. In addition, LA Testing offers a full range of air sampling and investigative equipment to professionals and the general public. LA Testing maintains an extensive list of accreditations including: : AIHA-LAP, LLC (AIHA-LAP, LLC EMLAP, AIHA-LAP, LLC IHLAP, AIHA-LAP, LLC ELLAP), CDC ELITE, NVLAP, State of California, State of Hawaii Department of Health and other states. LA Testing, along with the EMSL Analytical, Inc. network, has multiple laboratories throughout California including South Pasadena, Huntington Beach, San Leandro, San Diego and Ontario.

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