What's up with the warnings on some new appliances?

I have a Hoover floor cleaner says in its manual: "WARNING: This product contains chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer. WASH HANDS AFTER HANDLING." Also, in my Schumacher batter charger manual is says a similar warning. That makes me nervous. What happens if I use the product and then, say, scratch my eye before I can wash my hands, are the chemicals in my system now? Why does only California recognize this danger? Why are products like these released for public use? In my opinion, they are not ready for production.