California Proposition 65: Required notification of potential hazard from wood dust 
 

On December 18, 2009, wood dust was added to California's Proposition 65 list as a substance known to the State of California to cause cancer. Wood products will expose individuals to wood dust when they are drilled, sawed, sanded, machined, or otherwise handled in a manner that will produce wood dust.

WWPA Wood Dust Notification Service available for mills, distributors  See below for more information

As a result, WWPA mills are providing a clear and reasonable warning to consumers about the potential hazard of wood dust prior to purchasing their lumber products. These mills are informing their distributors, including wholesalers and retailers, of their duty to provide the warnings to consumer.

Per the requirements of Proposition 65, any purchasers of lumber or wood products should be aware of the following:

WARNING: Drilling, sawing, sanding or machining wood products generates wood dust, a substance known to the State of California to cause cancer. Avoid inhaling wood dust or use a dust mask or other safeguards for personal protection.

This warning also may be shown in invoices or other documentation related to the sale of lumber and other wood products.

Warning signs are required at retail locations where lumber and wood products are sold. To download a sample Warning Sign, click here. Retailers can order signs from the Lumber Association of California and Nevada.

For more information about Proposition 65, go to the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment.

WWPA Wood Dust Notification Service California now requires wood products producers and others in the distribution chain to inform their downstream customers about the potential hazards of wood dust, and confirm that each customer acknowledges the warning has been received. Each company must maintain a record of this confirmation from customers and complete the notification and confirmation process on an annual basis. For many manufacturers and distributors, this could mean sending hundreds of letters and e-mails every year, followed by hours of phone calls to encourage confirmations by customers and more work in recording and tracking these confirmations. WWPA can step in and take care of this annual project with a new centralized Proposition 65 Wood Dust Notification Service for wood products producers and others. By using this service, your company can take advantage of a streamlined confirmation process for your customers and reduce the duplicate mailings to distributors and retailers. Subscribers to this service will provide their customer list in a pre-defined Excel format and WWPA will contact the customers, confirm receipt of the warning information and provide a report back to the company of the confirmed customers. Should a subscriber be involved in a Proposition 65 claim, WWPA can provide documentation that the distributor or retailer received the warning materials and acknowledged their receipt of the warning. The Wood Dust Notification Service is available at a cost of $2,500 plus $1 for each customer contact submitted. A signed agreement is necessary to begin the service. For more information on the service, contact Frank Stewart at WWPA.

Companies using the Wood Dust Notification Service As of April 8, 2011 C&D Lumber Company Canfor California Redwood Company Collins Companies – Collins Pine  Company Columbia Vista Corporation Forest City Trading Group, Inc. Hampton Affiliates Hampton Lumber Mills-Cowlitz Division Hampton Lumber Mills-Darrington Division Idaho Forest Group L.J. Smith, Inc. Lausmann Lumber Malheur Lumber Company Potlatch Corporation SDS Lumber Company RSG Forest Products, Inc. Rosboro, LLC Seneca Sawmill Sierra Pacific Industries Simpson Lumber Company, LLC Stimson Lumber Company Swanson Group Tembec Tillamook Lumber Company Tolko Industries, Ltd. West Fraser Mills, Ltd. Willamina Lumber Company Yakama Forest Products of the Yakama Indian Nation