The Construction Industry Air Quality Coalition (CIAQC) has been tracking the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment’s amended changes to the Prop 65 warning label language and requirements. The Prop 65 Warning Label should be affixed to the any Portable, On-Road, Off-Road Equipment that emits Engine Exhaust. The label must be clearly visible to the operator of the equipment. CIAQC has printed the new Prop 65 Warning Labels to assist our members’ compliance efforts. If you would like to receive the new Prop 65 Warning Labels, please contact CIAQC or your Trade Association and request the numbers of labels you wish to receive.

Diesel engine exhaust is on the Proposition 65 list because it can cause cancer. Exposure to diesel engine exhaust can cause lung cancer. Proposition 65 requires businesses to determine if they must provide a warning about exposures to listed chemicals. What is diesel engine exhaust? Diesel engine exhaust is produced when engines, including those in vehicles and generators, burn diesel fuel. It is a mixture of thousands of chemicals released as gases or particles (soot). More than 40 cancer-causing substances are present in diesel engine exhaust, including benzene, arsenic, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, 1,3-butadiene, lead, and numerous polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (a class of chemicals created by burning fuels and other substances).

Exposure occurs by breathing in air containing diesel engine exhaust. Sources include diesel-powered motor vehicles, ships, trains, generators and other diesel-powered equipment. Exposure also occurs through contact with diesel engine gases and exhaust particles, which may be absorbed through the skin or unintentionally ingested. These contaminants may: 1) Be present on the surface of diesel-powered vehicles and equipment, 2) Enter vehicles, homes and other structures, where they can settle on surfaces and be absorbed into dust particles.