The American Association of Occupational Health Nurses Inc. has joined forces with five other health care organizations to offer a Webcast on Nov. 15 on reducing exposure to synthetic fragrances, saying they pose a health risk to 20 percent of the workforce.

The Webcast, supported in part by a grant from the Nurses Work Group of Health Care Without Harm, is scheduled to be held from 2:00 to 3:30 EST. The deadline for registration is Oct. 13.
"Our partners for this Webcast join us in supporting and promoting the important of a fragrance-free workplace as just one of many health and safety programs that can benefit workers and ultimately have a positive impact on productivity and a company's bottom line," Richard Kowalski, president of AAOHN, said in a Sept. 15 statement.

Synthetic fragrances can pose a serious health hazard, according to the nurses' association. Chemical compounds in synthetic fragrances can cause physical irritation and discomfort, sometimes leading to serious health effects, and can affect workers' ability to perform, it said.

Joining the AAOHN are the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, Decatur Memorial Hospital in Illinois, the Massachusetts Nurses Association, the Alabama State Nurses Association, and the University of Maryland School of Nursing.

Asthma, Migraine Headaches

"Asthma and migraine headaches can both be associated with exposure to fragrances and are both leading causes of lost work time," Evie Bain, a nurse with the Massachusetts Nurses Association, and a co-presenter of the Webcast, said in the statement. "Understanding the components of a fragrance-free workplace policy is imperative to protecting our health and the air we breathe at work," she said.

"The Institute of Medicine placed fragrance in the same category as second hand smoke in triggering asthma in adults and school age children," Bain said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention claims that 22.2 million Americans were diagnosed with asthma in 2005, the statement said. Each year, an average of 504,000 Americans are hospitalized for asthma-related symptoms, it said.

The Webcast, Reducing Workplace Exposure to Synthetic Fragrance, is free for AAOHN members and is $25 for affiliates of partnering organizations, the statement said. For nonmembers and nonaffiliates, registration is $75 online and $85 by fax. The Webcast offers 1.5 continuing nursing education contact hours.

Additional information on the Webcast is available at http://www.aaohn.org or by telephone at (770) 455-7757