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Do You Have Any Proposition 65 Warnings Required By California?
Do You Have Any Proposition 65 Warnings Required By California?

As a byproduct of making our own furniture, in a separate facility, we do create wood dust, which requires a Proposition 65 warning.

Nat avatar
Written by Nat
Updated over 2 years ago

What is Proposition 65?

From the American Cancer Center Website: "California’s Proposition 65, also called the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act, was enacted in 1986. It is intended to help Californians make informed decisions about protecting themselves from chemicals known to cause cancer, birth defects, or other reproductive harm.

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.” The list is updated at least once a year and now contains more than 900 different chemicals. The complete list can be found on the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) website at https://oehha.ca.gov/chemicals

There are several ways a substance can be added to the OEHHA list. One way is if it’s considered by an ‘authoritative body’ to cause cancer in humans or lab animals. Organizations designated as authoritative bodies by the state of California include the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC, which is part of the World Health Organization), the US National Toxicology Program (NTP), and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), among others. (To learn more about these organizations and what they do, see Determining if Something Is a Carcinogen.) The State of California can also make its own determinations about specific substances.

Not all of the cancer-related substances on the OEHHA list are considered to be known human carcinogens (known to cause cancer in people) by the organizations above. This means that not every chemical on the list has been proven to the worldwide scientific community to actually cause cancer in people."

When Are Labels Required?

As part of the law, most businesses selling products in California must provide “clear and reasonable warnings” before knowingly exposing people to any chemical on the list, unless the expected level of exposure would pose no significant cancer risk. This warning is often in the form of a label on the product or its packaging.

Businesses decide whether to put warning labels on their products based on their knowledge of the types of chemicals in them.

Does Avocado Have Any Products That Require a Proposition 65 Warning?

Yes. We operate a FSC® certified (C156318) wood shop — in a facility completely separate from our mattress factory, in Los Angeles — which produces wood dust. It features advanced ventilation systems. However, since wood dust is on California's OEHHA list, the following warning is required by the State of California:

WARNING: Drilling, sawing, sanding, or machining wood products can expose you to wood dust, a substance known to the State of California to cause cancer. Avoid inhaling wood dust or use a dust mask or other safeguards for personal protection. For more information go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov/wood.

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