Notice Of Intent to List Chemicals by the Labor Code Mechanism: Welding Fumes
The California Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) intends to list welding fumes as known to the state to cause cancer under the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, sections 25249.5 et seq. of the Health and Safety Code (HSC), otherwise known as Proposition 65.
This action is being proposed pursuant to the “Labor Code” listing mechanism. OEHHA has determined that these substances meet the criteria for listing by this mechanism.
Opportunity for comment: OEHHA is providing this opportunity to comment as to whether the chemicals identified above meet the requirements for listing as causing cancer (HSC § 25249.8(a); 27 CCR § 25904(b)). Since this is a ministerial listing, comments should be limited to whether IARC has sufficiently identified the specific chemicals or substances as a human or animal carcinogen. Under this listing mechanism, OEHHA cannot consider scientific arguments concerning the weight or quality of the evidence considered by IARC when it identified these chemicals and will not respond to such comments if they are submitted.
Public Comments
To be considered, OEHHA must receive comments on or before Monday, June 8, 2026, the designated close of the written comment period. All written comments will be posted on the OEHHA website at the close of the public comment period.
OEHHA strongly recommends that comments be submitted electronically through our website at https://oehha.ca.gov/comments, rather than in paper form. For instructions about other methods of submitting comments, please see the Notice linked above.