Q: Why is this applicable to this product?

A: Under Prop 65, the State of California publishes a list of items known to increase the risk of cancer and birth defects. One of the items on the list is lead. Lead is a component base metal used to make brass. There is at least one protected chrome plated brass component in a product that bears this warning. Our beverage products do not store the beverage in a brass component. Furthermore, the beverage passes by the protected chrome plated brass component rapidly and as such, we are trying to file a ‘statement of relief?to the California authority which should allow us to sell our products without this warning label.

Q: Is a product safe if it carries a Proposition 65 warning?

A: The fact that a product bears a Proposition 65 warning does not mean by itself that the product is unsafe.

You could think of Proposition 65 more as a “right to know?law than a pure product safety law. Voters who approved Proposition 65 in 1986 intended that Californians should have a right to know when they may be exposed to chemicals that cause cancer or reproductive harm.  That way, consumers and their families can decide on their own if they want to purchase and/or use the product.  For additional information about the product, contact the product manufacturer.  (text copied from http://oehha.ca.gov/prop65/p65faq.html )

Q: I recently bought a product that came with a Proposition 65 warning.   How do I find out more about the warning and the chemicals in the product?

A: Businesses are not required to provide OEHHA with any information regarding their Proposition 65 warnings.  To receive more information about the chemicals of concern and the levels of exposure related to a particular product’s use, one should contact the manufacturer of the product.  The decision to provide a Proposition 65 warning is made by the respective business based upon its knowledge of the types of chemical exposures it is responsible for causing to individuals.  A business is not required to notify our office or any other regulatory agency when it decides to provide a warning.

Because we do not know why a business has chosen to provide a warning, we generally cannot respond to specific questions regarding product safety, why a warning is being given, for which listed chemical the warning is being given, how long the chemical exposures have been occurring, and at what level a chemical exposure is occurring.  The responses to these exposure questions should be obtained from the business.

The list of chemicals subject to Proposition 65 is available athttp://www.oehha.ca.gov/prop65/prop65_list/Newlist.html .

(text copied from http://oehha.ca.gov/prop65/p65faq.html )