California Adds Fact Sheet on Nickel to Proposition 65 Website
A fact sheet released in February by the California Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) warns consumers about exposures to nickel and nickel compounds, which appear on the state’s Proposition 65 list due to their potential to cause cancer or reproductive harm. Proposition 65 requires businesses to warn people in California about toxic chemicals in their products, homes, and workplaces or that are released into the environment. According to OEHHA, exposure to nickel or nickel compounds can cause cancer of the nasal cavity, paranasal sinus, and lungs, and exposure to certain nickel compounds may harm developing babies and the male reproductive system.
Possible exposure routes for nickel and nickel compounds include inhalation, ingestion, and skin or eye contact, and OEHHA cautions that these substances can be found in dust and fumes from metal production and processing. Employees at workplaces such as nickel processing plants and factories where nickel alloys are used are at risk of exposure. A toxicological profile for nickel published by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ASTDR) in October explains that occupational exposures typically involve dusts or powders containing nickel or nickel compounds.
ATSDR’s toxicological profile also notes that dental technicians are at risk of exposure to nickel in alloys used within the industry. A health hazard evaluation report about exposures in a dental clinic published by NIOSH last year highlighted concerns regarding exposure to nickel; according to the report, the agency considers nickel dust to be a possible carcinogen and recommends reducing exposures to the lowest levels feasible. Similarly, OEHHA’s recently published fact sheet encourages consumers to minimize exposure to dust that may contain nickel or nickel compounds.
The OEHHA fact sheet is available on California’s Proposition 65 website along with links to additional resources related to nickel and nickel compounds.
