California Proposition 65
If you shop for home products online, you may have seen this warning. But, what is it? And, we don’t live in California, so do we care?
We do. And, so should you.
California Proposition 65 is also known as the “Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986”. This proposition requires businesses to alert consumers of significant exposure to chemicals that cause cancer, birth defects, or other reproductive harm.
Y’all… it’s not worth it.
This proposition also alerts us to the products that may endanger our drinking water (ie. lead).
One of our first jobs as designers is to ensure that I am providing selections for healthy and sustainable interior spaces. We are surprised that this proposition is not nationwide.
At Waldron Designs, we understand that our client’s make the ultimate decision, and when that decision involves a product with these kinds of warnings, we are forced to remove liability and note that these are client selected items. And yes, it happens… often.
My message is short and simple today. It may be hard to find exactly the item on our minds, impossible even.
What we have available on the market is guided by popularity and trends. It may not be the exact perfect item that was spotted on Pinterest, but the products we specify have met safety regulations.
And, while form is beautiful, your life is more beautiful.
Now, let’s also be realistic. MOST products will have this warning on it! Most products will have encountered sawdust (particularly wood ones). Most faucets will have a bit of lead. The important thing to consider is that this warning should be a flag to proceed with caution. When this warning pops up, it is time to seriously research the product and determine when this exposure occurred, if it was avoidable, and if there is an alternative.
11/14/2019 Update
I came across a well-known plumbing manufacturer’s response to this proposition, and I found it concerning.
The warning is required by California regulation Prop 65 to inform California residents that a product contains chemicals that are on the State of California’s Prop 65 list. Because [Brand] products are sold nationwide, we have to label all products to ensure those going into California contain the required warning. It does not mean that the product is unsafe. All brass contains some level of lead, which is on the Prop 65 list. [Brand] products meet or exceed the standards which regulate the level of chemicals within the water, as well as the federal Safe Drinking Water Act.
Designers understand that building code is a MINIMUM, not something to squeak by on.
The general public has not been educated on this however, and it is our duty as educated professionals to carry this through in our work. California has taken health and sustainability to a fantastic “extreme” going beyond the minimum and creating stringent laws that the rest of the country has not yet embraced.
That does not mean these are over the top, but that they are well worth looking into and considering.
The brand quoted above went on to provide the link to the proposition’s verbage, and I think it is important to note the discrepency:
Proposition 65 requires businesses to provide warnings to Californians about significant exposures to chemicals that cause cancer, birth defects or other
reproductive harm
The key issue I see here is that our brand above stated that products must issue this warning if the product “contains chemicals” on a list. But, on further reading on the exact proposition, it is not any level of this chemical, it is “significant exposures” to these chemicals.
This really shattered my trust in this brand! What are your thoughts?!
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