In 1986, the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) implemented Proposition 65, or the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986. This act sought to eliminate toxic wastes and required businesses to place “clear and reasonable” warnings on their products before knowingly exposing consumers to chemicals designated by California as contributors to birth defects or cancer.
On January 16, 2015, the OEHHA proposed a new set of rules regarding warnings for exposure to chemicals and toxins. These are the first major revisions to Proposition 65’s notification standards since the 1980s. The proposal sets forth the requirement for warnings to meet the standard of being deemed “clear and reasonable” as required by Proposition 65. Once these revisions are enacted, businesses and industries will be expected to comply with the new regulations or be subjected to fines or even litigation.
The regulations would include, among others, the following more stringent requirements:
- Including a more definitive warning statement substituting the current language that the product or facility “may contain” chemicals with a statement that the product “can expose” a user to harmful chemicals known to cause cancer or other birth defects;
- Listing specific chemicals that OEHHA has identified as harmful in the warning labels; and
- Linking all warnings to a public website operated by OEHHA to furnish information supplementing the standard warning.
These regulations, if adopted, may affect how businesses comply with Proposition 65. Under the existing law, many businesses have preferred to issue a warning compliant with Proposition 65 rather than undergo the expensive process of evaluating chemical exposure. If the new rules take effect, companies may choose otherwise given the potential for litigation for non-compliance and the stringency of the new proposal.
Consulting with an experienced environmental attorney in California can help you understand the regulations and practical impact of these rules on your business operations. Shane Coons can advise you on the steps to take to be compliant with new regulations. To evaluate how your business should respond to this proposal, contact Shane Coons here or call 949-333-0900.