Acute respiratory illness linked to use of aerosol leather conditioner--Oregon, December 1992

At 8 a.m. on December 27, 1992, the Oregon Poison Center (OPC) notified the Oregon Health Division (OHD) that 13 persons in one household became ill following the use of an aerosol leather conditioner and that this report was similar to two reports received on December 26 that also involved use of this product. A review of telephone logs identified similar calls on December 23 and 24, for a total of 29 persons in six households who reported illness associated with use of this spray. By midday on December 27, the product producer issued a voluntary nationwide recall of this product. Following the public announcement of the recall, as of December 31, the number of preliminary reports to the OHD and the OPC of illness associated with use of this spray increased to 400 and involved approximately 550 persons. This report summarizes the preliminary findings of the ongoing investigation of this problem by the OHD.