These kinds of details can only come from the product’s manufacturer. Its ominous wording seems to suggest that even just touching the labeled product could lead you to an eventual cancer diagnosis or having children with serious physical or developmental delays or disabilities. As a result, many companies simply choose not to do business in California.
Copyright © 2004-2020 The Fun Times Guide | Privacy Policy | About | Contact | Sitemap, California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, California Environmental Protection Agency. Most companies provide the Prop 65 “clear and reasonable warning” by affixing sticker labels on products, though some establishments also post signs in, for example, the wine and liquor aisle at the store. If you see a label and would like to understand more, reach out to the company’s customer service to find out what the chemicals in question are, and look up information about their risks from an organization you trust. Is there a reasonable extent to which Proposition 65 can protect the public without scaring people into hibernation? This LinkedIn website uses cookies and similar tools to improve the functionality and performance of this site and LinkedIn services, to understand how you use LinkedIn services, and to provide you with tailored ads and other recommendations. Let us know in the comments. Asbestos, lead, tobacco… Proposition 65 means business. The Prop 65 labels only tell you that a product has something in it that "might" potentially cause cancer or affect reproduction.
Crazy! But these Prop 65 labels can make even low-risk situations seem dicey. A friend of mine recently bought a toaster at Macy’s and a Prop 65 warning was on it. But what scientists don’t know yet is whether or not certain wood types are more dangerous than others, the amount of cancer risk, or extent of other health hazards associated with wood dust.
You could get the same alarming label on potato chips (acrylamide), chemotherapy (uracil mustard), lumber (wood dust), or toxic runoff (arsenic).
“Businesses” means anyone who sells anything that may cause exposure, above “safe harbor” levels, to a long and growing list of chemicals; California is required to update this list each year. “You need to put the exact chemical that is related to Prop 65 on your label. Does this really help consumers?
If the Prop 65 warnings are everywhere, then perhaps that opinion is merited by some. (Yes, I get my screenings too.)
But not all of them are known to cause cancer by groups and experts outside the state of California.
It could merely mean that certain cleaning products used in the building contain one of these chemicals. Aspirin and aloe vera are on the Prop 65 list. Proposition 65 Warning Requirements Are Changing, Selling Products?
Failure to comply can leave a company liable for fines of up to $2,500 per violation per day, according to OEHHA.
These cookies enable us and third parties to track your Internet navigation behavior on our website and potentially off of our website. Other companies that sell into California choose to label their products as a precautionary measure to avoid potential lawsuits, even when it is not necessary.
As part of the law, the state is required to publish a list of chemicals that are "known to the state of California to cause cancer or reproductive toxicity." What other kinds of guidance on Prop 65 issues would be most helpful to you? Because all companies who sell affected products in California have to apply the Prop 65 label to those items, it’s become cheaper and easier for them to simply slap the warning on all items being sold anywhere.
One way of enforcing the law is by requiring companies to place labels on products sold in California that contain (or may contain) chemicals that could pose certain health risks. Before long, you’ll probably find a product with this warning label: California Proposition 65 Warning: This product may contain a chemical known to the State of California to cause cancer or birth defects or other reproductive harm. So then what do Prop 65 warning labels on products and places accomplish?
Lack of available data didn't allow for similar examination of the law's effect on reproductive health. Third parties may also place cookies through this website for advertising, tracking, and analytics purposes. Some think the Prop 65 labels have desensitized the public, or have caused undue hype. Labels warning that a product contains compounds that may cause cancer, birth defects, or reproductive harm are now required on many household items, electrical wires, jewelry, padlocks, dishes, flashlights, pesticides, cosmetics, skin care, at restaurants and fast food chains, etc. Our bodies expect and are designed to remove these naturally occurring levels of lead or other heavy metals from our bodies.
Don’t at least a few items on that list above look eerily familiar?
This means that not every compound labeled as a possible cancer-causing substance has been proven to the worldwide scientific community to actually cause cancer.
Avoid furniture made with urea-formaldehyde resins that does not carry a California Air Resources Board (CARB) Phase 2 compliant label. These frightening labels all mention something called “Prop 65.” So ... what is that? The complete list can be found on the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) website. It seems that every site I go to nowadays and several of the products that I buy have a California Prop 65 warning on them. Here’s your primer on the growing world of fake products—and the forces working to combat them.
Are Prop 65 Warnings Healthful Or Harmful? If you want to read more about some of the specific court cases that have changed the course of Prop 65 over time, Vox has a great piece on its impact. Aspirin and aloe vera are on the Prop 65 list. Although federal agencies like the Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency already set levels for safe consumption of chemicals, Prop 65 goes above and beyond federal standards, sometimes setting different limits than the EPA does. It was created in reaction to the discovery of dangerous pollutants contaminating the California water supply. Prop 65, also called the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act, was enacted in 1986 and meant to inform and protect consumers. Cyber Monday is a great time to stock up on the best travel gear for your next vacation.
Many people just want a generic one, and don’t realize that doesn’t follow the law,” Kam says. That’s too many to list here, but here’s a sneak peak at just a few of the chemicals on the Prop 65 list: Want to see what else is on the list of Prop 65 chemicals known for causing cancer or developmental, birth defects, and reproductive harm? Some products, such as sprays and cleaners, come with a list of chemicals and other ingredients.
But we don’t consider Prop 65 regulations, per se. This is good — because it helps all people, including Californians, become more aware of the hidden dangers in some of the products they buy. By continuing your use of this website, you consent to this use of cookies and similar technologies.
In most cases, California doesn’t even say what the toxic level is per chemical in question, so the producer of the product has to guess what toxic level might trigger a lawsuit, and stay below that level.
The warnings are ubiquitous, rendering them meaningless to consumers.
But not all doses of these different chemicals mean the same thing.
Prop 65 came about from a growing concern that many chemicals may cause cancer, birth defects, or other reproductive harm. If they really wanted to help producers of products and consumers out, them Prop 65 would list all safe and unsafe levels of the chemicals in question. So is the Proposition 65 warning label a sign of real danger or is it to help save companies from lawsuits? But nobody really knows for sure if those chemicals will up my health risks.
All of these factors are critical when determining how much risk it might pose. But people all over the country see these Prop 65 labels because many companies put them on all items that contain these chemicals, even if they’re sold in other states. So as you can see…Prop 65 warning labels are now found almost everywhere and on almost everything…in restaurants, beaches, parking garages, auto repair shops, theme parks, coffee shops, art supplies, faucets, gardening products, medical supplies, window treatments, cosmetics, skin care products, and many more. From hand gloves to chair cushions and spray cans to hardware tools, a variety of common household products are labeled with warnings stating that item may have substances known to the State of California to cause cancer or reproductive harm. In 2018, there were 829 settlements (PDF) totaling more than $35 million. Isn’t it weird that things that are health hazards in California are not so anywhere else on the face of the planet? It isn’t keeping consumers safe and it’s rather discouraging.
If you live in or have visited California, you’ve probably even seen the signs on buildings, including parking garages — in which you’ll encounter car exhaust (an aforementioned carcinogen).