California’s chemical law known as Cal Proposition 65 requires the State of California to publish a list of chemicals known to cause cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm. Manufacturers and/or distributors selling products in CA must label products with a Toxicity Warning if the product contains any chemical on the list.
The updated Cal Prop 65 list can be downloaded here, in full. The list below was updated on July 24, 2012, and updates can be viewed in red at the top of the image. The latest listed chemicals are:
- Isopyrazam (CAS No. 881685-58-1)
- 3,3′,4,4′ Tetrachloroazobenzene (CAS No. 14047-09-7)
About Prop 65. Not all 800+ chemicals on the Prop 65 list should be avoided at all costs (and in some cases they might save your life, as with aspirin to thin the blood). The Prop 65 list seeks to publish the identity of every chemical that can be a danger and to require products containing it or traces of it be clearly labeled as potentially toxic. Labels are mandatory, although enforcement is spotty.
The idea, it’s said, is to alert consumers of possible dangers and let consumers decide whether to act on that knowledge.