Prop 65
If you are located in California you may have noticed warning labels with the the following verbiage:
WARNING: This product contains a chemical known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm.
Products with this label may contain trace amounts of one or more of the chemicals on the California Proposition 65 List of Chemicals in an amount that requires this warning. Many of these elements are naturally occurring in the soil, water, and air throughout California (as well as other parts of the United States and the world). We strongly believe in the products that we carry, and believe that they are safe, provided they are used in accordance with their instructions.
The Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, more commonly know as Proposition 65 or Prop 65, was enacted as a ballot initiative in November 1986. The Proposition was intended by its authors to protect California citizens and the State's drinking water sources from chemicals known to cause cancer, birth defects, or other reproductive harm, and to inform citizens about exposures to such chemicals. This law has been extended past water sources to include exposure to these chemicals by any means. Companies that operate in California, sell products in California, or manufacture or distribute products that may be sold in California, are subject to complying with Proposition 65 requirements.
Prop 65 requires warnings to be displayed in connection with products that contain any of the 800 plus chemicals considered by the California Air Resources Board to cause cancer, birth defects, or reproductive harm. Since the law was passed, California has added chemicals to and deleted chemicals from the list. Many of the elements listed are common everyday items including soots, tars, mineral oil, wood dust, leather dust, and more.
For the full Prop 65 list click here: http://www.oehha.ca.gov/prop65/prop65_list/files/filesp65single110112.pdf
For more specifics on this law click here:http://www.oehha.ca.gov/prop65.html
Is a product safe if it carries a Proposition 65 warning?
A Prop 65 warning does not necessarily mean that a product is unsafe to use. Products with this label may contain trace amounts of one or more of the chemicals on theProposition 65 List of Chemicalsin an amount that requires this warning. Many of these elements are naturally occurring in the soil, water, and air throughout California (as well as other parts of the United States and the world). We strongly believe in the products that we carry, and believe that they are safe, provided they are used in accordance with their instructions.
What amount of these substances triggers the warning requirement?
Warnings must be provided for chemicals listed under Proposition 65 under the following conditions. For carcinogens, the chemical must be present at or above a level that could cause one additional case of cancer in a population of 100,000 people exposed to the chemical over a lifetime. For reproductive toxicants, the chemical must be present at or above 1/1000th of the level at which the chemical is determined to have no negative health risks (the “no-observable-effect level”).
Did you know?
Daily breathing of outdoor air alone in California may expose you to amounts of lead greater than that which would trigger the Prop 65 product warning label requirement (0.5 micrograms per day). Since we are not medical doctors we cannot give you medical advice, but if you are in California (or any other place for that matter), we think that breathing would be a good idea!
Are these warnings located anywhere else?
If you are in California, you will see Prop 65 warnings in many places including many hospitals, office buildings, apartment buildings, grocery stores, parking lots, etc., and on products such as herbal supplements, whole food supplements, electrical appliances, Christmas lights, and more.
What happens if a manufacturer cannot provide proof of Prop 65 compliance?
If a manufacturer does not provide proper verification of Prop 65 compliance, then as a proactive step we are required to put a Prop 65 warning on that product until that products compliance can be confirmed.
However, this does not mean that the product actually contains any harmful ingredients, just that its Prop 65 compliance has not been properly verified. As products are confirmed to come into or out of compliance we will label them accordingly.
If a product has a Prop 65 label placed on it, should I consume it?
The choice whether or not to consume a product is always the choice of you, the customer. You may contact each manufacturer directly if you would like more information on their product ingredients and testing procedures, in order to make a completely informed decision on what you are consuming. As always you should consult your physician regarding any specifics with regards to your diet or supplementation program.
WARNING: This product contains a chemical known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm.
Products with this label may contain trace amounts of one or more of the chemicals on the California Proposition 65 List of Chemicals in an amount that requires this warning. Many of these elements are naturally occurring in the soil, water, and air throughout California (as well as other parts of the United States and the world). We strongly believe in the products that we carry, and believe that they are safe, provided they are used in accordance with their instructions.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Proposition 65?The Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, more commonly know as Proposition 65 or Prop 65, was enacted as a ballot initiative in November 1986. The Proposition was intended by its authors to protect California citizens and the State's drinking water sources from chemicals known to cause cancer, birth defects, or other reproductive harm, and to inform citizens about exposures to such chemicals. This law has been extended past water sources to include exposure to these chemicals by any means. Companies that operate in California, sell products in California, or manufacture or distribute products that may be sold in California, are subject to complying with Proposition 65 requirements.
Prop 65 requires warnings to be displayed in connection with products that contain any of the 800 plus chemicals considered by the California Air Resources Board to cause cancer, birth defects, or reproductive harm. Since the law was passed, California has added chemicals to and deleted chemicals from the list. Many of the elements listed are common everyday items including soots, tars, mineral oil, wood dust, leather dust, and more.
For the full Prop 65 list click here: http://www.oehha.ca.gov/prop65/prop65_list/files/filesp65single110112.pdf
For more specifics on this law click here:http://www.oehha.ca.gov/prop65.html
Is a product safe if it carries a Proposition 65 warning?
A Prop 65 warning does not necessarily mean that a product is unsafe to use. Products with this label may contain trace amounts of one or more of the chemicals on theProposition 65 List of Chemicalsin an amount that requires this warning. Many of these elements are naturally occurring in the soil, water, and air throughout California (as well as other parts of the United States and the world). We strongly believe in the products that we carry, and believe that they are safe, provided they are used in accordance with their instructions.
What amount of these substances triggers the warning requirement?
Warnings must be provided for chemicals listed under Proposition 65 under the following conditions. For carcinogens, the chemical must be present at or above a level that could cause one additional case of cancer in a population of 100,000 people exposed to the chemical over a lifetime. For reproductive toxicants, the chemical must be present at or above 1/1000th of the level at which the chemical is determined to have no negative health risks (the “no-observable-effect level”).
Did you know?
Daily breathing of outdoor air alone in California may expose you to amounts of lead greater than that which would trigger the Prop 65 product warning label requirement (0.5 micrograms per day). Since we are not medical doctors we cannot give you medical advice, but if you are in California (or any other place for that matter), we think that breathing would be a good idea!
Are these warnings located anywhere else?
If you are in California, you will see Prop 65 warnings in many places including many hospitals, office buildings, apartment buildings, grocery stores, parking lots, etc., and on products such as herbal supplements, whole food supplements, electrical appliances, Christmas lights, and more.
What happens if a manufacturer cannot provide proof of Prop 65 compliance?
If a manufacturer does not provide proper verification of Prop 65 compliance, then as a proactive step we are required to put a Prop 65 warning on that product until that products compliance can be confirmed.
However, this does not mean that the product actually contains any harmful ingredients, just that its Prop 65 compliance has not been properly verified. As products are confirmed to come into or out of compliance we will label them accordingly.
If a product has a Prop 65 label placed on it, should I consume it?
The choice whether or not to consume a product is always the choice of you, the customer. You may contact each manufacturer directly if you would like more information on their product ingredients and testing procedures, in order to make a completely informed decision on what you are consuming. As always you should consult your physician regarding any specifics with regards to your diet or supplementation program.
Why is the Proposition 65 sticker on my products and not on the same products sent to people in other states?
The sticker on your product is in response to this California law, which is only relevant to products being shipped to California addresses. Identical products that we sell to customers outside of California do not receive their products with this warning attached because their states do not have a state law like Prop 65 in place.
I live outside California, why did I receive a product with a Prop 65 warning?
Some manufacturers choose to label all of their products in order to make it easier for them to comply with Prop 65 within California so they don’t have to choose which products need to be labeled and which do not based on where their products are being shipped. Due to this fact, it is possible that you will received products with these warnings even if you are located outside of California.
Why Do I Not Get These Labels Put on Products I Receive From Other Companies?
Companies with less than 10 employees are not required to adhere to Prop 65 regulations. If a company has more than 10 employees and is not applying stickers to their products, then there may be several reasons for this: they may have supporting documentation of Prop 65 compliance on their products and therefore do not need to label them; they may be unaware of the law; or they may be trying to avoid the cost associated with testing and/or labeling their products - hoping they will not be caught disregarding the law. We cannot speak to the exact reason why other companies are not providing warnings associated with their products, so you would need to inquire directly with those companies for an answer to this question.
The sticker on your product is in response to this California law, which is only relevant to products being shipped to California addresses. Identical products that we sell to customers outside of California do not receive their products with this warning attached because their states do not have a state law like Prop 65 in place.
I live outside California, why did I receive a product with a Prop 65 warning?
Some manufacturers choose to label all of their products in order to make it easier for them to comply with Prop 65 within California so they don’t have to choose which products need to be labeled and which do not based on where their products are being shipped. Due to this fact, it is possible that you will received products with these warnings even if you are located outside of California.
Why Do I Not Get These Labels Put on Products I Receive From Other Companies?
Companies with less than 10 employees are not required to adhere to Prop 65 regulations. If a company has more than 10 employees and is not applying stickers to their products, then there may be several reasons for this: they may have supporting documentation of Prop 65 compliance on their products and therefore do not need to label them; they may be unaware of the law; or they may be trying to avoid the cost associated with testing and/or labeling their products - hoping they will not be caught disregarding the law. We cannot speak to the exact reason why other companies are not providing warnings associated with their products, so you would need to inquire directly with those companies for an answer to this question.